Messi and Argentina Stun England With Late Comeback to Reach World Cup Final

Argentina produced yet another dramatic escape act, scoring twice in the final five minutes to stun England 2-1 in a fiery World Cup semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday, booking their place in Sunday’s final against Spain.

Anthony Gordon had given England the lead in the 55th minute, and the Three Lions appeared to be holding on for a place in their first World Cup final since 1966 as the match wore into its closing stages. But Argentina, who had needed extra time or a late comeback to advance out of every one of their knockout matches so far, once again delivered in the clutch. Enzo Fernandez leveled the match with a stunning strike from 20 yards out in the 85th minute, and just four minutes later, Lionel Messi’s cross to the far post was met by substitute Lautaro Martinez, who headed home the winner in the second minute of stoppage time, sending the Argentine end of the stadium into delirium and silencing the pockets of England fans who had begun to believe an upset was coming.

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The match carried significant emotional weight well beyond the football itself, with the buildup dominated by references to the Falklands War, fought between the two nations in 1982. Supporters of both sides massed outside the stadium hours before kickoff, in what FIFA and law enforcement officials had reportedly flagged as the highest-risk match of the entire tournament, with the two fan bases kept apart at opposite ends of the venue and routed through separate entrances as a precaution. The atmosphere spilled onto the pitch almost immediately, with the opening half turning scrappy and physical, the two sides combining for eight fouls before either team managed a single shot on goal, and bodies littering the turf as players tangled and appealed for cards that the referee largely chose not to brandish. At full time, with Argentina’s players still celebrating on the pitch, midfielder Giovani Lo Celso unfurled a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas,” a reference to Argentina’s ongoing claim over the Falkland Islands, underscoring just how much more than football was riding on the result for both nations.

Messi, largely quiet and often crowded out for much of the contest, emerged as the decisive figure once the game finally opened up in the closing stages, providing the assists for both of Argentina’s goals in what was his first-ever meeting with England across 205 caps for his country. His involvement in the winning goal took his tournament tally to eight goals, keeping him level with France’s Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot heading into the final. Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni’s second-half substitutions proved decisive, injecting fresh legs and urgency into a side that had looked short on ideas for long stretches of the match, with the introduction of Martinez in particular reshaping the game’s closing minutes almost single-handedly.

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England’s Thomas Tuchel was left to reflect on a night that will likely be picked apart for years, admitting his side became too passive after taking the lead and could not turn their possession into further chances, allowing Argentina to pile on crosses and shots as the clock wound down. Speaking to the BBC after the match, Tuchel said his team had gotten too passive following Gordon’s opener and simply could not sustain their level once Argentina began pushing bodies forward in search of an equalizer. Former England captain Wayne Rooney was among those critical of Tuchel’s second-half changes after the match, suggesting the switches had cost his players belief at a crucial stage of the game, a sentiment echoed by several other former England internationals in post-match analysis. England captain Harry Kane said afterward it was too early to say whether Wednesday’s defeat marked his last World Cup appearance, describing the loss as a familiar story following yet another agonizing near-miss for the Three Lions, whose wait for a first World Cup final since 1966 continues to stretch on, now spanning six decades of heartbreak across countless near-misses and what-ifs.

For Argentina, the win extends a remarkable pattern that has defined their tournament from the group stage onward. Following a similarly dramatic stoppage-time win over Egypt in the Round of 16, Argentina became the first team in World Cup history to record multiple winning goals scored in second-half stoppage time within a single tournament, a statistic that speaks to both the resilience and the sheer theatre that has followed this squad throughout the summer. Speaking after the match, Scaloni praised his squad’s resilience, saying the group never stops amazing him and crediting the fans for carrying the team to victory through what he described as one of the most difficult stretches of his managerial career. He added that trying to explain what this group of players does on the pitch has become almost impossible, calling their consistency in these moments something close to unique in the sport.

Sunday’s final against Spain at MetList Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will mark the first World Cup final ever contested between the reigning European and South American champions, and the first time the two top-ranked teams in the FIFA World Rankings have met in a final since the rankings system was introduced in 1992. It will also be Argentina’s seventh World Cup final appearance, as they bid to join Italy and Brazil as only the third nation in history to win back-to-back titles, a feat that has eluded even some of the greatest sides in the tournament’s history. Spain reached the final after a 2-0 win over France the previous day, setting up what promises to be a heavyweight clash between two of the tournament’s most in-form sides, with early betting markets reportedly installing Spain as narrow favorites despite Argentina’s status as defending champions. Whatever unfolds on Sunday, few expect it to match the sheer emotional intensity of Wednesday’s semifinal in Atlanta.