Defending champions Argentina produced a dramatic late comeback to defeat England 2-1 in a pulsating FIFA World Cup semifinal at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday night, securing their place in Sunday’s final against Spain. The victory keeps alive Argentina’s dream of successfully defending the title they won in Qatar in 2022.
The first half was an intense and physical affair, with the fierce rivalry between the two nations evident from the opening whistle. Crunching tackles flew in from both sides, forcing the referee to issue several yellow cards as tempers repeatedly threatened to boil over. Despite the aggression, neither side managed to create many clear-cut scoring opportunities, with England’s defence keeping Lionel Messi and Julián Álvarez quiet, while Argentina’s backline frustrated Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. The teams went into the halftime break locked at 0-0 after 45 bruising minutes.
England emerged from the interval with greater purpose and were rewarded in the 55th minute. Morgan Rogers collected possession on the left before exchanging passes with Declan Rice, whose perfectly weighted through ball released Rogers behind the Argentine defence. The winger then delivered a precise low cross into the penalty area where Anthony Gordon arrived unmarked to calmly slot the ball beyond Emiliano Martínez, giving England a deserved 1-0 lead.
Argentina refused to surrender and gradually took control of possession as Lionel Scaloni introduced fresh attacking options. Messi became increasingly influential, drifting into midfield to dictate the tempo and pull England’s defenders out of position.
The Albiceleste finally found their breakthrough in the 85th minute. Messi danced past two defenders before slipping the ball into the path of Enzo Fernández just outside the penalty area. The midfielder took one touch before unleashing a powerful right-footed strike that flew beyond Jordan Pickford and into the bottom corner to level the scores at 1-1, sparking wild celebrations among the Argentine supporters.
With extra time looming, Argentina delivered the decisive blow in stoppage time. In the 90+2nd minute, Messi once again proved decisive, drifting to the right flank before curling a delightful cross into the six-yard box. Substitute Lautaro Martínez timed his run to perfection and powered a header into the net, completing a remarkable comeback and breaking English hearts.
England pushed desperately for an equaliser in the remaining moments, throwing men forward, but Argentina defended resolutely to preserve their advantage until the final whistle.
The victory sends Argentina into a mouth-watering FIFA World Cup final against Spain, who eliminated France 2-0 in the other semifinal. Argentina will now aim to become back-to-back world champions, while England must regroup for the third-place playoff after suffering another painful World Cup semifinal exit.