Argentina did it again. Down to England for most of Wednesday night in Atlanta, the defending champions found two goals in six second half minutes to steal a 2-1 win and book their place in Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain.
Anthony Gordon had given England the lead in the 55th minute, tapping in a low cross from Morgan Rogers to send the away section into raptures. For half an hour the lead held. Then Lionel Messi took over.
The Argentina captain set up Enzo Fernandez for a bending strike from distance in the 85th minute, pulling the scores level and silencing Atlanta Stadium. Seven minutes into stoppage time, Messi found space again and picked out Lautaro Martinez, whose header sailed past Jordan Pickford and sent the Argentina bench sprinting onto the pitch. Full time: Argentina 2, England 1.
A familiar heartbreak for England
For Harry Kane and his teammates, the pain carries an old, tired weight. England reached the semifinal in 2018 and lost by the same score. They fell in the Euro final in 2020 and again in 2024. Wednesday added another chapter.
“We’d done so well for that 60 minutes,” Kane said after the match. “We scored, we deserved to be ahead, and then, for one reason or another, we struggled to keep the ball. We struggled to put pressure on it, and that allowed them to build momentum.”
Head coach Thomas Tuchel drew criticism for sitting his side too deep once England took the lead, inviting pressure that Argentina eventually made count. Despite the exit, Tuchel is set to remain in charge through Euro 2028, according to sources close to the Football Association.
Scaloni leans on a team built for chaos
This is now the fourth straight knockout match in which Argentina has needed a late twist to survive. Cape Verde pushed them to extra time. Egypt forced a furious comeback after a two goal deficit. Switzerland took them to extra time in the quarterfinal despite playing a man down. Wednesday fit the pattern.
“I think this team plays its best when we face a difficult situation, with adversity,” said coach Lionel Scaloni. “We had a challenging game, a challenging situation. There was blood in the water, and we went for it.”
Referee Ismail Elfath, the first American to take charge of a World Cup semifinal, booked a player from each side before halftime as the match turned physical early. Bodies hit the turf often in the opening exchanges, and neither team managed a shot on target before the first break in play.
Messi finally faces England, and delivers
Remarkably, Wednesday marked the first time Messi had ever played against England in his career. He made it count without scoring himself, setting up both of Argentina’s goals and pushing his tournament tally to eight goals and four assists. He remains the competition’s joint top scorer alongside France’s Kylian Mbappe, two goals clear of Kane.
Bellingham and Kane had carried England’s attack through the tournament, combining for all but one of the team’s goals before Gordon’s strike on Wednesday. Their form was not enough to get England past a team that has now made a habit of finding a way through.
A rivalry renewed after 21 years
England and Argentina had not met at a World Cup since 2002, when Beckham scored a penalty to settle an ill tempered group match. The teams had not played each other at all, in any competition, in 21 years. That absence did nothing to cool the tension.
Security around Atlanta Stadium was tight throughout the day, with FIFA and local law enforcement treating the fixture as the highest risk match of the tournament. Fans from both nations packed the streets outside for hours before kickoff, and the rivalry’s old wounds, from Maradona’s Hand of God in 1986 to the political tension between the two countries, were never far from the surface. After the final whistle, Argentina substitute Giovani Lo Celso unfurled a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas,” a reference to the Falkland Islands that has featured in celebrations from Argentine fans throughout the tournament.
With the win, Argentina moved to seven wins in their World Cup history against England, extending an unbeaten run in World Cup semifinals that now stretches across five appearances. They will meet Spain, who eliminated France 2-0 on Tuesday, in Sunday’s final as they chase a second consecutive title and a fourth star overall, a feat no nation has managed in 70 years.
For England, the wait for a first World Cup since 1966 goes on. Sixty years of hurt just became sixty four, and there is no obvious end in sight.
Broadcast details
Kickoff times (CAT)
Sunday 19 July 21:00: World Cup Final, Argentina v Spain, live on SuperSport World Cup Central
