• The final is set: Argentina scored two late goals to defeat a shocked England 2-1 to advance to a second consecutive World Cup final.The Argentines will meet Spain, which beat France 2-0 yesterday to book their trip to MetLife Stadium on July 19
• England stunned: After Anthony Gordon’s opener, the Three Lions parked the bus to maintain their 1-0 lead. That worked until the 85th minute when Enzo Fernández leveled it. Lautaro Martínez’s match-winner completed the comeback that Argentina has become synonymous with this tournament
• Race for the Golden Boot: Lionel Messi, who faced Englandfor thefirst time in all of his 205 games for Argentina, provided both assists. With eight goals this tournament, he remains tied with France’s Kylian Mbappé
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Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates after his cross led to the winning goal against England in second-half stoppage time.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man
For large parts of this contest, Lionel Messi cut a quiet, frustrated figure on the pitch
Thwarted by England’s tenacity and gregariousness, the twinkle-toed talisman and his team were staring down the barrel of a World Cup exit
Shades of a repeat of Egypt in the round of 16 in this very stadium was casting a long shadow over Messi and his cohort
Messi is defended by England’s Elliot Anderson in the first half.
From the start, England and manager Thomas Tuchel’s game plan was working to a tee – frustrate, punctuate, and hit Argentina on the counterattack
The first half was a scrappy, testy affair with very little rhythm or rhyme from both teams. Anthony Gordon’s second-half strike, though, changed all that
The cool half-volley finish sent England fans to cloud nine and had them eyeing a first final since 1966. But soon after, Argentina awoke from its slumber
England’s Anthony Gordon turned in a Morgan Rogers cross in the 55th minute to give the Three Lions a 1-0 lead.
Moments make matches, and the second-half hydration break proved to be a point that set up moments to come
Holding the slim lead, Thomas Tuchel decided to go with a more defensive posture. England retreated further and further back, which allowed Messi and Co. to grow and grow into the game
Lionel Scaloni rolled the dice. He switched up his tactics, brought on the cavalry, but all the time remained calm, composed and confident that his side could turn things round. And so it did much to the delight of the raucous crowd inside Atlanta Stadium
Space opened up and despite trailing, Argentine spirits were lifted. The chances started flowing as Argentina laid siege to the England goal
Twice England’s post was struck but when Enzo Fernández’s sublime strike sailed past Jordan Pickford in the 85th minute, there only ever felt like one winner
Enzo Fernández leveled the score with a long-range shot in the 85th minute.
And as has so often been the case, it was Messi who had the key to bring about the winning moment
His cross from the right in added time was met by Lautaro Martínez in added time and the comeback was complete
Two more assists for the maestro to go with the eight goals so far at this tournament
In truth, despite the tight scoreline, the holders were worthy winners whose champion mentality won out
Argentina’s 14 attempts on goal compared to England’s five just about sums up the direction of travel
Lionel Messi celebrates as a nearby English player shows his dejection.
Argentina now faces Spain in Sunday’s showdown in New Jersey. The first-ever meeting in a final between the champions of Europe and South America
History will be on the line for La Albiceleste as it aims to be the first back-to-back World Cup titleholders since 1962. For Messi, it’s a shot at writing yet another chapter in the storied career of the greatest player of our time
The memory of Diego Maradona is never far from Argentina’s hearts
I’m currently attempting to get out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the way is blocked by a few hundred Argentines singing a song about Maradona as a man in his shirt is carried around on someone’s shoulders
It’s a standstill here as these fans might become permanent residents of the 200 level of this stadium
I finally reach the escalator. It’s still a sea of Albiceleste jerseys as fans jump and sing, and most certainly do not want to leave
England manager Thomas Tuchel walks off the pitch after the match.
The way the end of this match played out has commentators and social media going all out in blaming Thomas Tuchel for England’s loss
The shift from a fairly balanced contest to a one-sided affair happened quite quickly after the Three Lions conceded possession to Argentina and just decided to try to close up shop with roughly half an hour left – a somewhat baffling decision from a respected manager at every level
Watching England pip a goal in the 55th minute and then suddenly decide to play its luck, which ultimately failed to work out, felt oddly familiar to me as a Real Madrid fan. An X post from Spanish journalist Andrés Onrubia Ramos reminded me of something. This exact situation has pretty much happened before in the Champions League
On its way to a record-breaking 15th Champions League crown, Madrid played Tuchel’s Bayern Munich in the semifinals of European club soccer’s top competition. The first leg was a 2-2 draw in Munich, and then Bayern scored a 68th-minute goal at the Santiago Bernabéu of the return match to put the pressure on Los Merengues at home. Shortly after scoring the goal, Tuchel subbed out attacker Leroy Sané for slow, but able defender Kim Min-jae in an effort to protect the lead. He then subbed off Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala – two offensive stars – for older, veteran presences.
Well, you can guess what happened next. The decidedly defensive posture ended in disaster as Madrid sub Joselu scored two goals really late on in the span of three minutes (including one in injury time!) to turn the fixture around and send Los Blancos through to the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund
Tuchel is an incredible manager who adjusts and learns on the fly and isn’t afraid to take risks in his lineups, making many changes, but his inability to learn from this fatal mistake almost cost him against Norway in the quarterfinals and didcost him tonight
He’s got to do better
Argentina’s Giovani Lo Celso holds a banner in the postmatch celebrations.
So much was made of the wider context surrounding this semifinal, notably the Falklands War, which was fought between the two nations in 1982
It was a clear undercurrent in the buildup, seemingly more so within the Argentinian camp. At the end of the game, with the defending champion celebrating the brilliant comeback win, a banner was unfurled by Giovani Lo Celso on the pitch
“Las Malvinas son Argentinas,” it read. That translates to “The Malvinas are Argentine.”
Las Malvinas is what Argentines call the Falkland Islands, a place which many in Argentina still press to claim
Many an England World Cup exit has been tainted by justifiable “what if’s”: What if Diego Maradona’s opening goal had been rightly ruled out in 1986? What if David Beckham had been officiated by a more lenient referee in 1998 (Sol Campbell would score a header in that match he probably feels should have counted). What if Wayne Rooney had been more mature in 2006? What if goal line technology had been in place in 2010, as Frank Lampard’s lob clearly crossed the line?
But on Wednesday in what might come to be known as “The Battle in Atlanta,” the Three Lions can surely have no complaints. A goal to the good from the impressive Anthony Gordon and players and fans could almost taste the New York-New Jersey final this Sunday
Somehow, England withstood a battering from Argentina after taking the lead, with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford so inspired he could have probably run for Prime Minister of Great Britain and won in a landslide. But England invited the pressure, which invited trouble, which invited Lionel Messi
With five minutes to play, the magical Messi teed up Enzo Fernández, who blasted home from distance. And then Messi and his mates could smell the win, to avoid the peril of extra-time and penalties. A perfectly placed cross found the head of Lautaro Martínez and that was that for Thomas Tuchel’s valiant but shattered men
Tuchel and his players, particularly Gordon and Pickford today, and Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham across the tournament, have much to be proud of, but England simply weren’t capable of killing off the game and scoring a second goal. Instead, Argentina will take on Spain this Sunday, while England do battle with the old enemy, France, in Miami for the contest for third place on Saturday
Euro 2028 will be here before we know it, and 62 years of hurt may well come to an end. Winning a tournament at the first time of asking is a tough challenge, and Tuchel knows that all too well. It’s called “hurt” for a reason
Argentina players celebrate their comeback victory.
When its back is against the wall, it seems to bring about the very best in Argentina
Even when it found itself behind, like its coach Lionel Scaloni, the side didn’t panic or waver in its belief that it could get back into this contest
It stuck to its guns and dug deep to bring about a spectacular turn of events to swing this match in its favor
In truth, Thomas Tuchel’s decision to go ultra-defensive early gave Scaloni’s side license to attack at will
It created more opportunities and space for Lionel Messi, who flourished and turned this game on its head
And when you have strikers of the caliber of Lautaro Martínez waiting in the wings to pounce, there’s always a chance and he most certainly took his
England captain Harry Kane walks off the pitch.
No love for the English as they leave the pitch
Somber Three Lions players head down the tunnel, underneath where the loudest Argentina fans are situated. They’re met by huge whistles and curses as they head to the locker room
Once the English are gone, the attention turns to the man of the match, Lionel Messi. Thousands of arms wave as his fans and players bow down to their little magician. He’s lifted into the air as all of Argentina’s contingent stays on the pitch
The celebrations are well and truly on and they’ll be headed up to the Big Apple soon enough
Lionel Messi celebrates with teammates after the win.
Some light shoving after the final whistle from some England players toward Argentina players, who are gleefully celebrating
The roar of relief, joy, pride and everything that came out of the lungs of these Argentinian fans encapsulated more emotion than can be put into words. Once again, the world champions simply cannot be killed
There are shirts being whirled all around me as disbelieving fans soak in the celebrations with their squad
On the other end of the pitch, the English look crushed. They were so close to finally getting over the hump and have suffered a soul-crushing defeat. Some players are watching the Argentines celebrate, most are staring at the turf
It’s truly a story of two sides to this stadium and the split in emotion could not be more stark
A somber England applauds its fans, who stand and cheer them back. What a way for this journey to end
England players react after the loss.
How many times can your heart get broken as an England fan? It seems like at least once more
The Three Lions were just five minutes away from making their first World Cup final since 1966 and yet find themselves heading home
It was all going so well – Anthony Gordon’s goal was celebrated up and down the country. But after going ahead, England manager Thomas Tuchel tried to shut the back door by throwing on countless defenders and not bothering to attack Argentina anymore
In truth, that tactic worked against Mexico and Norway in the earlier knockout rounds – but this was against defending champion Argentina
With no defensive work required, the South Americans just set up camp on the edge of England’s box and were allowed to attack at will. Lionel Messi, who was absent for much of the match, was suddenly awarded the freedom of the entire right side of the pitch
It’s no surprise that he provided assists to both of Argentina’s goals. He was just too good and England too naive
Tuchel will have a lot to answer for. He was brought in to get England over the line in this type of situation, but his negative tactics contributed to the team bowing out yet again
Who would be an England fan?
Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates after the full-time whistle.
Argentina is into the final!
This team never knows when it’s beaten and has yet again performed a miracle escape act to win this dramatic semifinal at the death
For so long in this game, Lionel Messi and co. looked devoid of ideas but Lionel Scaloni’s substitutions have turned this game in the most dramatic of circumstances
Argentina goes to New Jersey to set up a Sunday showdown with Spain as it seeks to win back-to-back World Cups
Just when all seemed lost, Enzo Fernández saves Argentina in this building once again
It was Fernández who scored the winner against Egypt and now the equalizer against England, a goal that had been coming given Argentina was poking and prodding then English defense ever since Anthony Gordon’s opener
The stands are shaking once again here in the upper reaches of the stadium and the Argentine fans are back in full voice
The waves of sound here at Mercedes-Benz Stadium have become a tsunami. And unfortunately for England, Argentina gets a second in injury time and it looks like this is over
Shirts are flying, drinks are being tossed, it’s absolutely pandemonium
Argentina’s second goal shockingly didn’t blow the roof off this place, but it came close. Barely anyone is sitting now as the Argentines shake the stadium with their celebrations
It was in this very stadium that Argentina produced one of the greatest escape acts of this tournament against Egypt and has history just repeated itself again?
Lionel Scaloni rolled the dice by brining on Lautaro Martínez and with nearly his first act, he may just have sent Argentina into back-to-back finals
Alexis Mac Allister shoots off the post, and Lionel Messi recovers it, driving down the right and sending in a brilliant ball for the Inter Milan striker to head home
Cue delirium among the Argentina supporters and disbelief from England supporters
John Stones is down in the England box and is being attended to by the medical team. It looked like he was involved in a collision with Jordan Pickford, but it is unclear what is happening
He’s back up and has to run off the pitch for a bit he was down for a while, but he’s back on
Enzo Fernández celebrates his goal.
An Enzo Fernández thunderbolt has us level!
Cometh the hour, cometh the man – It’s not the Messi man but the Chelsea man
He’s arguably scored his country’s most important goal of the tournament – A rasping, sweetly struck strike from 20-yards out past a raft of bodies that left England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford with no chance
Pick that one out!
This is some heroic defending from England, much like it did against Mexico in the Round of 16 at the Estadio Azteca when it was down to 10 men
Jordan Pickford is having an incredible game and saving the Three Lions, but England is also playing with fire. This feels a little too close for comfort, so if you’re an England fan, you must surely hope the team starts holding onto the ball a bit more rather than hoofing it out at any chance
Question is though: Is this Egypt-Argentina or Mexico-England?
People watch the match from a fan festival in Atlanta.
The hydration break was more important in the Atlanta fan zone, where the heat and humidity are turned up
There is a 15,000-capacity crowd here in downtown Atlanta, and we are indeed at capacity. There are a large number of Argentine fans here in the fan zone
Let’s see if another comeback is in the cards!
Editor note: Let the record show Jen called it
The Argentines can’t take much more of this
Three near misses in a few minutes have them singing louder, but the exasperated faces up here in the 300 level don’t look encouraged. Rather than feeling like the equalizer is coming, they seem to be questioning whether this is their day
The pressure is only ramping up, but England withstood a similar siege in more hostile territory, having defeated Mexico in the Estadio Azteca earlier this month
It’s going to be a torturous period for the fans in blue and white
The problem is, Argentina has looked close to scoring about three times since it decided to do so
I can assure you that every England fan around the world is screaming for that defensive line to get up the pitch. It was in control of this game before scoring and now seems to be hanging on
This, ladies and gentlemen, is torture to watch
Lionel Scaloni has rolled the dice by shuffling his pack as Argentina goes in search of an equalizer in normal time
On come Nicolás Otamendi, Rodrigo De Paul and Gonzalo Montiel for Lisandro Martínez, Nahuel Molina and Giuliano Simeone
And it almost pays immediate dividends
A wonderful delivery into the box from De Paul is met by Alexis Mac Allister but his header comes off the post
Jordan Pickford was nowhere near it. England breathes a huge sigh of relief. Argentina is growing into this game
It’s hard to feel like England can keep Argentina out for the remainder of this match
Lionel Messi and his team are starting to tighten their grip on the match, and the noise here is growing increasingly desperate. Of course, they have been here before both figuratively and literally – this is the ground they pulled off that majestic escape against Egypt in the Round of 16
If you want proof that the first goal has increased the tension rather than released it, basically no one is singing The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” aside from a few pockets in the England end
Do you know nervous you have to be to not sing that song? It’s telling
