Rooney and Hart urge England to 'give as good as they've got' as Argentina commit 12 first-half fouls in World Cup semi-final

Argentina committed 12 fouls in the first half of their World Cup semi-final against England but were shown just one yellow card — to Lisandro Martinez — as Thomas Tuchel’s side were forced to absorb a calculated physical approach from the holders.

Pundits Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart both praised England’s composure in the face of what they described as a deliberate “wind-up” strategy, while former goalkeeper Paul Robinson reserved his sharpest criticism for referee Ismail Elfath.

“Argentina would have definitely spoken about this before the game: ‘Let’s get into Jude [Bellingham], try and wind him up, try and make him get a yellow card, try and get him sent off’,” Rooney said. “It’s really important that we don’t take that bait. When there’s a tackle there, go and win it with force, but do not get involved — the Argentina team do this a lot. They’re used to it.”

Rooney also pointed to the England coaching staff’s awareness of what was coming. “If you look at the England bench, Anthony Barry’s up, Thomas Tuchel’s up. They will know what was coming. We have to be as clever as they are. Give them some back, because otherwise, if you allow them to keep doing it, normally they’ll come out on top.”

Hart echoed that sentiment, singling out England’s pressing work against Lionel Messi as a sign of the right mentality. “I’ve loved how the England players have reacted and stood up to the battle. Anderson has chased the great man Messi around the field and not given him an inch. When they get a chance, they’re smacking them back. That is exactly what you need in a game like this.”

Robinson took a harder line on the officiating, calling it one of the worst refereeing displays of the tournament. “He didn’t get a grip of the game from the start,” Robinson told BBC Radio 5 Live. “He’s let so much go and the two coaches are not happy either. England have had to stick in this game because it has been tough. They have been kicked off the park at times. There’s a clear game plan. There’s been no real flow to the game.”