'Hand of God', Rattin and Beckham see red: Witnesses relive England Argentina World Cup rivalry

ATLANTA, July 14 : Antonio Rattin refusing to leave the pitch in 1966. Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal in 1986. David Beckham's red card in 1998.

Few World Cup rivalries have produced so many moments that transcend sport, becoming part of the political and cultural history of two nations.

As England and Argentina prepare to meet in the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, Reuters tracked down eyewitnesses who were inside the stadium for each of those defining incidents.

Across six decades, they recall the anger, disbelief, jubilation and heartbreak of matches that helped forge one of football's fiercest rivalries, offering a rare first-person account of occasions that still echo far beyond the final whistle.

1966 - Argentine Rex Gowar.

Rex Gowar was born and raised in Argentina, and finished secondary school in England. In the summer of 1966, along with two friends, he bought tickets for the World Cup quarter-final at Wembley.

"We just wrote away for tickets, it was so easy and so cheap back then," Gowar said.

"We knew England would be playing, but when we bought them we weren't certain it would be against Argentina."

The game's turning-point came in the first half when Argentina midfielder Rattin was sent off, with the game held up for several minutes as he refused to leave the pitch.

"We were all so surprised by what happened," Gowar said.

"Rattin was haranguing the referee all the time, asking for explanations of why he kept blowing against Argentina for fouls.

"We were behind the goal, where the teams came out, so when Rattin eventually sauntered off, he passed in front of us before going down the tunnel.

"The abiding memory of that match was the English manager Alf Ramsey calling the Argentines animals, and there's a picture