Once again, England will be going home, courtesy of an Argentina comeback after conceding first in the second half. In a high-voltage semi-final in Atlanta, Argentina came from behind to beat England 2-1 and secure a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final at MetLife Stadium. Lionel Scaloni’s side has now reached back-to-back World Cup finals after lifting the trophy four years ago in Qatar. They will face Spain in a what promises to be a mouth-watering finale.
The tempo of the game remained high throughout, with both teams putting on an intense and physical display. Argentina, who were slightly on the back foot for large parts of the match, conceded just before the hour mark following a brilliant move down the right flank. Declan Rice found Morgan Rogers, whose low cross into the box was met by Anthony Gordon, who guided the ball home after getting behind Nahuel Molina.
Argentina, however, seem to have made it a habit of saving their best for the closing stages. After falling behind, the defending champions began to play with far greater urgency and purpose. Alexis Mac Allister came agonisingly close to equalising on two occasions, hitting the woodwork with a header before rattling the post again with a long-range effort. The Albicelestes kept the pressure on, forcing England onto the back foot. Lionel Messi, yet again leading by example, drifted into his preferred right-wing position, creating more space and opportunities for Argentina’s attack.
The much-awaited equaliser finally arrived in the 85th minute through Enzo Fernández. His thunderous strike from outside the box left Jordan Pickford with no chance, as the England goalkeeper could only watch the ball fly past him.
The final minutes highlighted exactly why Argentina remain one of the most dangerous teams in world football. Rather than settling for extra time, they continued to push forward in search of a winner. Their reward came in the second minute of stoppage time when Messi delivered a superb right-footed cross, which super-sub Lautaro Martínez powered home with a thunderous header to seal a dramatic victory. Thomas Tuchel’s decision to sub in Dan Burn and Nico O’ Reily together at the 82-minute mark for Declan Rice and Reece James put the team in a shell, allowing Argentina to explore more spaces in the middle.
The first half had ended goalless, but it was anything but uneventful. Both sides were involved in a fierce physical battle from the outset, committing 19 fouls between them, with Argentina responsible for 12. England looked the more threatening side in attack during the opening 45 minutes, while an Argentine defence that had appeared vulnerable in the previous knockout rounds looked considerably more assured. Argentina struggled to create clear-cut chances in the final third, and Messi was kept under tight control by England’s defenders, who quickly crowded him out whenever he got on the ball.
With the win, Argentina are marching on to face a talented Spanish side, and the world will get a Messi versus Lamine Yamal final in a few days to come.
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