​Cristian Romero has stopped expecting anything easy from this Argentina team. Three knockout matches into the defence of their title, the pattern has held every single time.Argentina needed extra time to beat Switzerland 3-1 in the quarter-finals, with Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez scoring late to finally break down a stubborn Swiss defence after the score was locked at 1-1 following 90 minutes. It set up a World Cup semi-final against England in Atlanta on Wednesday. Speaking to FIFA afterwards, Romero said the manner of the win had become the team’s identity.“It seems that we can’t win without suffering,” Romero said. “But I am fortunate and I feel proud. What we are doing is unbelievable, and we don’t want to stop here.”A Pattern Through Every Knockout RoundThe win over Switzerland was Argentina’s third gruelling knockout tie in a row. La Albiceleste needed extra time to get past Cape Verde 3-2 in the round of 32, then came back from two goals down to beat Egypt in the round of 16. Nothing about the run to the last four has come in comfort.Romero, who plays his club football at Tottenham, said he and defensive partner Lisandro Martinez were emotional in the aftermath of the win over Switzerland, before turning his attention to the size of the task still ahead.“It’s just another match,” Romero said of the semi-final. “We shouldn’t get carried away. It’s football. We are focusing on ourselves and on showing the DNA that we have shown in recent years. Sometimes you suffer, sometimes you play well and sometimes you play poorly, but the important thing is that we go out there with heart and try to take the initiative.”Scaloni Downplays the HistoryHead coach Lionel Scaloni admitted his side had not been at their best against Switzerland but praised his players for the composure they showed in a match he described as highly physical and complicated. Asked what the England fixture meant to him personally, Scaloni kept his answer measured.“The message is that this is a football match, and we are going to play against a great squad with a great manager, who I appreciate and admire very much,” Scaloni said.Wednesday’s match at Atlanta Stadium will be the sixth meeting between Argentina and England at a World Cup. England have won three of the previous five, with Argentina winning two. The most recent came at the 2002 tournament in Korea and Japan, when England won 1-0.Alvarez and Tagliafico Have Their SayJulian Alvarez, who scored the opening goal against Switzerland in extra time, was full of respect for the opponent awaiting Argentina in Atlanta.“A World Cup semi-final will always be a difficult match,” Alvarez said. “We’ve seen how they play and they are a great team with high-quality players. But we are focused on ourselves, and at the moment, on our recovery.”Left-back Nicolas Tagliafico pointed out how rarely these two nations actually meet, given the history between them, and said Argentina had t