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Following their 2-1 victory over England in the World Cup semifinals, Argentina's players celebrated on the pitch at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a banner reading "The Falklands are Argentine."
The claim to sovereignty over this South Atlantic archipelago, which triggered a bloody war with England in 1982, was the backdrop to the tense and emotional match that Argentina won with a goal by Lautaro Martínez in stoppage time.
The Argentine players, who came from behind after conceding a goal, celebrated the triumph in front of the stands as has been customary throughout the tournament.
Substitute Giovani Lo Celso took a banner that read "The Falklands are Argentine" and, together with defender Lisandro Martínez, celebrated with it alongside the rest of his teammates.
The Falklands "will always be Argentine," midfielder Leandro Paredes later said in statements to the Telefe channel when asked about the celebration.
"I'm going to keep what I really think to myself" regarding what it feels like to beat England, he stated. "But it is an incredible emotion because of everything it generates. We know that for our country it is something unique and I hope the people are very happy."
From the political sphere, Argentine Vice President Victoria Villarruel said before the match that "against the English it is always something more" and branded them "usurping pirates."
The duel in Atlanta was played 40 years after the famous quarterfinal match of the 1986 World Cup in which Diego Maradona scored the goals known as the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century to eliminate England 2-1.
For Argentina, that victory was considered a revenge and a vindication for the compatriots who died at the hands of the English four years earlier in the Falklands War, in which 649 Argentines and 255 Britons perished.
Leading up to Wednesday's match, Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni asked not to mix the football rivalry between Argentina and England with that armed conflict, which remains present in Argentine memory and symbolism, including this national team's World Cup anthem.
"For the Falklands, for Diego, for Leo's last, Argentina I want to see you two-time champion," goes the song "The Fourth Star" that the players have sung in the locker room during their victories.
[Publicidad]