'It's not arrogance' - Lionel Scaloni praises 'unique' Argentina stars as Lionel Messi & Co bury England to reach World Cup final

Scaloni admitted he was left speechless after Argentina's 2-1 victory over England secured another World Cup final appearance. The Albiceleste boss described the occasion as unlike anything he had experienced before and said his players continued to exceed his expectations. The world champions had to battle for their place in the final, but Scaloni insisted his side thrive under pressure. He said the team's determination and the support they received helped carry them through a demanding contest.

Speaking after the match, Scaloni reflected on Argentina's performance and rejected any suggestion that his praise for the squad reflected overconfidence. Instead, he pointed to their mentality when facing adversity. The Argentina coach also became emotional as he highlighted the unity within his squad and the commitment shown by every player.

"I'm speechless. A joy for our country, our people. The other day I said that this group never ceases to amaze me," Scaloni admitted, as quoted by TyC Sports.

"My voice is breaking because this is a demonstration of so many things: team spirit, brotherhood, never giving up, fighting until the very end. After this, we're going to win the final, but what more does this team have to do? They have moved me deeply. I don't have much more to say; it's all thanks to them."

He added: "We're going to try to win, give it our all, but after this, it's very difficult to make people understand what the players are demonstrating. We are unique, and that's not arrogance. These people led us to victory."

Scaloni believes this Argentina side has produced a performance that ranks among the finest in the nation's history. While acknowledging Diego Maradona's iconic goal against England in 1986, he argued the overall display in the semi-final set a new benchmark.

"We thought the Egypt game was the best we'd ever achieved, and this surpassed it," Scaloni said. "Regardless of the opponent, it's a semifinal. I don't know if this has ever happened before. I think Diego's second goal will go down in history, but in terms of our performance today, it was incredible.

"This team plays its best when under pressure, when they sense weakness, they go for it. Even if we had lost, we would have been happy because the team showed their mettle until the very end; we did what we had to do."

With a historic second consecutive World Cup trophy in sight, Argentina is now focused on preparing for the final showdown against Spain at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday.