Some defeats fade with time. This one clearly has not. Alan Shearer has been around long enough to know the difference, and his reflection on England's France '98 loss to Argentina is a reminder that some nights never stop stinging.
It is 28 years since England lost that last-16 tie at Stade Geoffroy Guichard on penalties, after David Beckham was sent off, Sol Campbell had a goal disallowed and England spent 75 minutes with 10 men. Shearer said it still hurts now, and that is exactly the point: this was not just another World Cup exit, but the kind of game that lodges itself in the memory and refuses to move.
A rivalry built on damage, not comfort
Shearer did not dress it up. He said he still pictures Argentina's players dancing and celebrating next to England as both teams waited to get on their buses after that epic tie, and he said plainly that he still does not think the best team won. That is a harsh verdict, but it is also a familiar one for England supporters who remember France '98 as a game full of sub-plots, frustration and raw injustice.
Michael Owen's amazing goal was part of the story. So was Argentina's brilliant free-kick. So was Beckham's red card. So was Campbell's disallowed effort. And then came the penalties, which turned the night from painful to brutal. When a match gives you that much drama and still leaves you empty, no wonder it keeps coming back every time England and Argentina are drawn together.
Why Wednesday feels different, and the same
That is why Shearer's comments about England preparing for Wednesday's semi-final in Atlanta at 20:00 BST matter. He said he feels the same way about this England side, with a chance to change their lives forever, and that is the sort of line that tells you exactly how high the stakes are. This is not simply another fixture. It is another chance to settle a rivalry that has carried controversy for decades.
Shearer also hinted that the atmosphere around the game may turn ugly again, saying he would not be surprised to see another red card. Given what he has already pointed to from other tournament decisions, including the astonishing VAR call that ruled out Egypt's goal against Argentina in the last 16, it is hard to argue that he is being paranoid. This is a team and a rivalry that seem to attract heat, arguments and officiating scrutiny wherever they go.
That is the uncomfortable truth here. England's 1998 heartbreak is not just a historical footnote. It is part of the emotional baggage that still follows this matchup into every new tournament. Shearer knows it, England know it, and Argentina know it too. Some games are about three points or a place in the next round. England and Argentina rarely are. They are about memory, revenge and the fear that the same old pain is waiting again.
