Argentina are ninety minutes from keeping their crown. In a semifinal that turned on its head in the closing moments, the defending champions clawed back a one-goal deficit against England on Wednesday to win 2–1 in Atlanta, with Lionel Messi laying on both goals and substitute Lautaro Martínez heading the winner deep into stoppage time.
Anthony Gordon had nudged England ahead early in the second half, and for roughly half an hour Thomas Tuchel's side looked bound for a first World Cup final since their 1966 triumph. Then Enzo Fernández leveled in the 85th minute and Martínez struck in the 90+2, propelling Argentina into a Sunday meeting with Spain at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
England draw first blood
The opening 45 minutes generated more fouls than genuine chances, a scrappy, ill-tempered affair that stayed goalless. The deadlock finally broke in the 55th minute: Morgan Rogers advanced and swung in a cross that Gordon steered past Emiliano Martínez for his first goal of the tournament. A stadium tilted overwhelmingly toward sky-and-white fell hushed.
From there, Tuchel's team retreated to guard the lead, dropping deeper and inviting pressure — a call that Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni exploited with attacking substitutions. Jordan Pickford kept the Three Lions in front with a string of saves, including a superb stop from Nico González and another from Alexis Mac Allister.
Messi conducts the comeback
At 39, Messi once more hauled Argentina back from the edge. In the 85th minute, off a corner routine, the captain slipped the ball to Fernández, whose curling left-footed effort from beyond the box arrowed past Pickford to make it 1–1.
The header that broke English hearts
Two minutes into stoppage time, Mac Allister rattled the post. Messi pounced on the loose ball out on the right, steadied the play, then floated a cross to the far post, where Martínez climbed to head Argentina in front. Tens of thousands of Argentine supporters erupted; the image of that celebration will rank among the tournament's defining scenes.
The night added to a nearly absurd Messi ledger. It was his second assist of the match and, per ESPN, his 10th in World Cup knockout play — more than any player has managed in at least six decades. He has now contributed a goal or an assist in 11 consecutive World Cup matches dating back to 2022. Argentina, for their part, became the first side to score multiple stoppage-time winners in a single World Cup.
An old rivalry, a fresh chapter
The result poured new fuel on one of football's most charged rivalries — the one that produced Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" and his "Goal of the Century" at the 1986 World Cup, four years after the two nations fought over the Falkland Islands. It was the sixth World Cup meeting between the countries, and, remarkably, the first time Messi had ever faced England. Forty years on from Mexico '86, history again bent Argentina's way — this time on American soil.
Spain next, and a shot at a dynasty
Argentina will now chase back-to-back titles, a feat last achieved by Brazil in 1958 and 1962. Their opponents are Spain, who reached the final by beating France 2–0 in Dallas on Tuesday, through a Mikel Oyarzabal penalty and a Pedro Porro strike. The showpiece kicks off at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey — the venue that will crown the first 48-team World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
For England, the ache of 1966 lingers: a golden generation built around Kane, Bellingham and Gordon came within minutes of a final and fell short again. They will regroup for Saturday's third-place match against France in Miami. Argentina did not produce their most dazzling performance, but they showed the patience, nerve and late-game ruthlessness that made them champions — and, with Messi perhaps facing the final World Cup match of his career, La Albiceleste can turn a golden era into a dynasty on Sunday.
