England vs. Argentina Kicks Off with the Most Barren Start to a World Cup Match in at Least 60 Years

The first half of the England vs. Argentina 2026 World Cup semi-final clash was a hard-fought battle on the pitch, yet it delivered almost no shots on goal, setting an unwanted tournament record.

For the first time since at least the 1966 World Cup, when such statistics began to be recorded, there wasn't a single shot attempted in the opening 30 minutes of a World Cup match. Interestingly, the previous worst record in this regard also involved England in the current tournament. That was in the quarter-final against Norway, where the first shot came in the 29th minute. This time, the first attempt of the match was by John Stones from a set-piece in the 33rd minute, though it was off target. Five minutes later, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez also failed to hit the mark. Consequently, the first half ended without any shots on target. It wasn't until the 47th minute that either goalkeeper was called into action, with Jordan Pickford saving a shot from Julián Álvarez.