Argentina delivered yet another heart-stopping comeback on the biggest stage in football, scoring twice in the final minutes to beat England 2-1 in the World Cup semifinal on Wednesday night to book a place in Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain.
For long stretches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, it looked as though England, not Argentina, would be the ones celebrating a World Cup final berth. Anthony Gordon put the Three Lions ahead in the 55th minute, finishing off a pinpoint cross from Morgan Rogers, and for the next half hour England seemed content to sit on that lead and see the World Cup semifinal out. That decision would prove costly.
As England manager Thomas Tuchel reshuffled his side into a deeper defensive shape, Argentina gradually took over. The reigning champions, driven forward by the ageless Lionel Messi, pinned England back and piled on the pressure. Enzo Fernandez struck the equalizer in the 85th minute with a curling effort from outside the box, and just two minutes into stoppage time, substitute Lautaro Martinez rose to head home the winner off another Messi delivery, sending the Argentine end of the stadium into delirium and ending England’s World Cup dream for another cycle.
It was a familiar script for this Argentina team. This World Cup run has been defined by late drama, with the defending champions having needed extra time or late goals in several of their knockout matches to survive challenges from Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland. Against England, they once again found a way, further cementing their reputation as a side that thrives when its back is against the wall.
Messi did not find the scoresheet himself, but his fingerprints were all over both Argentine goals, and his overall performance drew rave reviews from observers covering the World Cup, with some rating him among the best players on the pitch. At 38, he continues to be the difference-maker for a team chasing a second consecutive World Cup title, a feat no nation has managed since Brazil in the early 1960s.
For England, the result extends a painful run of near-misses in major tournaments. Having already lost back-to-back European Championship finals, Thomas Tuchel’s side once again fell at the semifinal stage of the World Cup, unable to hold on to a lead in a match many felt was there for the taking. Captain Harry Kane admitted afterward that the team’s approach after going ahead had backfired, saying the players had tried to protect the result rather than push for a second goal.
The build-up to the match carried an intensity that went beyond the football itself. Argentina and England have a long and complicated rivalry, shaped by memories of the 1986 World Cup and the political tension between the two countries over the Falkland Islands. Fans from both nations packed the stadium hours before kickoff, and the atmosphere throughout was as fierce as anything else this World Cup has produced.
Argentina will now turn its attention to Spain, who reached the World Cup final earlier this week with a win over France. Sunday’s final in New Jersey will pit Messi against Spain’s young sensation Lamine Yamal in what promises to be a fitting climax to this World Cup. England, meanwhile, will play France in Saturday’s third-place playoff in Miami, a consolation fixture that will do little to ease the sting of coming so close to a first World Cup final appearance since 1966.
For Argentina, though, the mood is nothing but jubilant. Coach Lionel Scaloni said his team seems to play its best football when facing adversity, and Wednesday’s win was another testament to that resilience. Whether that same resolve carries them past Spain on Sunday will determine if this World Cup ends with Argentina lifting the trophy for a second straight time.
