​Nearly 18 million people tuned in to watch England muddle past Norway on ITV over the weekend, so it’s a safe bet that tonight’s World Cup semi-final with Argentina will comfortably top 20 million viewers on the BBC.Some will be watching this World Cup for the first time. Some might be new to following England in tournaments. If that’s you, welcome. You’re not too late. The World Cup is a book that can be opened at any page, each chapter a distinct challenge, a new puzzle to solve. You don’t need to have watched England toil against Ghana to appreciate this intense showdown with Argentina.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPerhaps you’re 10 years old watching your first World Cup, in which case absorb it, it will forever be your favourite. Perhaps you don’t usually watch football but the algorithm served up reels of Wonderwall singalongs, Harry’s Kane’s high-pitched interview, John Stones’ party shoulder, and you thought, I need a bit of whatever this is.England fans watch the World Cup quarter-final against Norway (Getty)Come on in. This is where we keep the memories. Mind your step, the floor is littered with trauma. That faded picture on the back wall? That’s Bobby Moore on a throne of shoulders. The dusty statuette in the corner? That’s the old World Cup trophy. Ah, yes, the rake you just stepped on is the physical manifestation of Diego Maradona’s left hand. And the handle that just hit you in the face is his left foot.Because – and it’s only fair to give some warning here – it hurts to support your team in knockout football, pain spawned from a specific kind of angst that churns your insides whenever the ball goes near the goal. When Alexander Sorloth and Erling Haaland rushed behind England’s defence on Saturday night, and Norway were effectively one pass from the semi-finals, you may have experienced side effects such as swearing repeatedly or forgetting to breathe. Don’t panic, this is all normal.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFor each endorphin rush of a Jude Bellingham wondergoal, every serotonin shot of England players singing together arm-in-arm, the dopamine hit of seeing Thomas Tuchel grinning maniacally like a mad scientist in the heat of a highly dangerous experiment, the lows will be deeper, more visceral.Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and Dan Burn sing Wonderwall with their adoring public (PA)England’s men have played in only two World Cup semi-finals since 1966: there were Paul Gascoigne’s tears and the heartbreak of penalties in 1990; then the extra-time defeat by Croatia in 2018. England fans serenaded the manager with “Southgate, you’re the one” and a nation ached.This time it’s Argentina, a once-in-a-generation match against a country with which England share a bitter footballing rivalry and an emotive political history. Relations weren’t great before Sir Alf Ramsey described the Argentinians as “animals” after their 1966 quarter-final, but it certainly didn’