​Caitlin Dobert had never missed a lab as part of her courseload.But the 24-year-old Dobert, who is a student in the physical therapy assistant program at Houston City College, skipped her lab Wednesday.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDobert, who is half-Argentine, wasn’t going to miss watching Lionel Messi and the Argentina national team play England in their World Cup semifinal.”They kind of figured that I’d be skipping,” Dobert said.A father and son react as Argentina scores its second goal as Argentina faces England in the Semifinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup which was streamed to attendees of the Fan Festival in EaDo, Houston, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle)She’s not the only one who didn’t let the 2 p.m. kickoff time in the middle of the work week stop them from watching Wednesday’s match, which Argentina won 2-1 behind yet another a late comeback.”I did request off for the semifinal games and the final a month ago,” said Bareq Mohammad, who works for H-E-B. “For me, the FIFA World Cup semifinals and the final is an international holiday.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMany people at Houston’s FIFA Fan Fest would have likely agreed with Mohammad’s opinion. While it was far from a capacity crowd, there were plenty of fans throughout the footprint and in EaDo for the afternoon kickoff.Argentina fans react after their team scores its second goal as Argentina faces England in the Semifinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup which was streamed to attendees of the Fan Festival in EaDo, Houston, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle)That includes Marcelo Perini, who was one of the first fans to stake his claim to a spot under the magic sky ahead of the match.Perini, holding a World Cup trophy and an Argentina flag, was born in Argentina and then moved to the U.S. when he was 6 years old. He didn’t tell his boss, who is out of town, that he would be watching the match instead of working.But Perini, who works in remodeling and commercial exterior work, isn’t worried about any backlash.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”He’s Argentinian, too,” Perini said.Kristen Mori said her bosses were understanding of her desire to watch the game.”I work for a sports team,” said Mori, who works for the Astros, “so they know the drill,”Mori’s father previously lived in Buenos Aires so she’s been an Argentina fan all her life.She even got to go to two Argentina matches earlier in the tournament with her father, watching Messi score five goals.”Last week we also had an early game against Egypt, so I went to the gym for an extended lunch break where we have some TVs in there,” Mori said. “I think they all know.”Argentina fans react after their team scored its first goal as Argentina faces England in the Semifinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup which was streamed to attendees of the Fan Festival in EaDo, Houston, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle)Not everyone had to worry about missing work