​After beating Mexico at the scene of the crime 10 days ago, the England national team faces Argentina in the World Cup semifinals and are once again reminded of Diego Maradona’s 1986 “Hand of God.”It was a crucial play in soccer history, and one that certainly would never happen today.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMaradona ran onto the end of an attempted clearance by England midfielder Steve Hodge, rose past goalkeeper Peter Shilton and put the ball into the net for an opening goal in Argentina’s World Cup quarterfinal against England at the Estadio Azteca.Except, it wasn’t a header that Maradona put past Shilton. Rather a punch.The referee, Tunisia’s Ali Bin Nasser, didn’t see it was Maradona’s hand, not his curly-maned head, that had put the ball into the goal. Maradona did his part to celebrate rather than tip off the official that something may have been amiss.It’s a moment that has haunted England fans for 40 years.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”They are surely waiting for revenge for what Diego did in 1986,” former Argentina striker Carlos Tevez, who played for seven years in England, told ESPN Argentina. “They are thinking about that. … History is there, history is alive.”But England captain Harry Kane, born in 1993, isn’t thinking too much about that moment.”I think it’s not something you want to focus too much on, surrounding the history. Yeah, that’s all part of it and that’s what (media members) will talk about, the fans will be involved in,” Kane said.”… It’s England versus Argentina, it’s two of the biggest nations going toe to toe. Two giants in the semifinal of a World Cup. The rest of it is just a small part.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRather than come entirely clean or deny the idea that the goal hadn’t been scored with his head, the crafty Maradona settled on a third option after the game.”It was a bit with the head of Maradona, a bit with the hand of God,” journalists reported Maradona to have said after the game.The moment followed him for the rest of his career and life, with Maradona addressing it in his autobiography, when he was serving as Argentina manager and played English-speaking countries, and in various interviews until his death in 2020.1 / 6Messi’s Argentina and Switzerland collide in a World Cup quarterfinal with a place in the semifinals at stake.See moments from the showdown in Kansas City as the defending champions try to keep their title defense alive against an upstart Swiss side.Above, Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina warms up before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match between Argentina and Switzerland at Kansas City Stadium on July 11, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri.(Carl Recine, Getty Images)The colorful character at times played up the picaresque nature of the move, while other times defending his actions and putting England’s 1966 goal to win the World Cup into question.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe said on a television program and in a newspaper inte