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Argentina produced another remarkable comeback, scoring twice in the final five minutes to defeat England 2-1 and book a place in the FIFA World Cup final against European champions Spain.
Trailing 1-0 until the 85th minute, the defending champions mounted a dramatic late rally led by Lionel Messi, whose two assists helped turn the match around and deny England its first World Cup final appearance in 60 years. Argentina will now face Spain on Sunday at New York New Jersey Stadium in pursuit of back-to-back World Cup titles.
Enzo Fernández equalized in the closing stages before substitute Lautaro Martínez struck the winner in stoppage time, completing another memorable comeback for La Albiceleste.
Messi was named Player of the Match after orchestrating Argentina’s comeback with two decisive assists. The 39-year-old also set a World Cup record as the oldest outfield player to appear in a semifinal at 39 years and 21 days, surpassing the mark jointly held by Fritz Walter and Gunnar Gren, who were both 37 years and 236 days old during the 1958 tournament.
England captain Harry Kane earned his 121st international appearance, becoming the Three Lions’ most-capped outfield player.
Martínez continued his impact as a substitute, scoring after also finding the net off the bench in Argentina’s quarterfinal victory.
The semifinal also featured seven players aged 32 or older among the 22 starters, the most ever in a World Cup semifinal. The previous record of six was set during France’s meeting with Portugal in 2006.
Anthony Gordon had given England the lead in the 55th minute after finishing Morgan Rogers’ low cross from the right. The goal appeared likely to send England to its first World Cup final since 1966.
Instead, Argentina once again demonstrated its resilience. The defending champions had already staged a comeback from two goals down to defeat Egypt 3-2 earlier in the tournament, and repeated the feat by overturning another second-half deficit against England.
The victory sends Argentina to its seventh World Cup final, leaving the reigning champions one win away from retaining the title.
Messi remains tied with France’s Kylian Mbappé atop the tournament’s Golden Boot race with eight goals. Neither player scored in the semifinals. Messi will have the opportunity to add to his tally in Sunday’s final against Spain, while Mbappé will play England in the third-place match.
The long-awaited meeting between Argentina and England renewed one of international soccer’s most storied rivalries. The teams had not faced each other in a World Cup for decades, and the semifinal ended with the same 2-1 scoreline as their famous 1986 quarterfinal in Mexico City.
Both sides began cautiously, with few clear opportunities during the opening half hour. England registered the first attempt on target in the 33rd minute when John Stones headed wide from a Declan Rice free kick. At the other end, Fernández fired over the crossbar.
Neither team was able to create sustained attacking momentum before halftime as both defenses remained organized.
Argentina threatened early in the second half when Julián Álvarez broke past Djed Spence and forced Jordan Pickford into a sharp save at the near post.
England broke the deadlock 10 minutes after the restart. Rogers, one of three changes to Thomas Tuchel’s starting lineup, delivered a low cross from the right that Gordon met with a composed finish at the far post beyond Emiliano Martínez.
Spence then made a crucial goal-saving tackle to deny Giuliano Simeone as Argentina increased the pressure.
The South Americans continued to push forward. Substitute Nico González forced another fine save from Pickford with a header, while Alexis Mac Allister struck the post.
The equalizer finally arrived following a corner routine. Messi squared the ball to Fernández, who unleashed a powerful strike from outside the penalty area that beat Pickford.
In stoppage time, Mac Allister’s effort hit the post, but Messi recovered possession and delivered a cross that Martínez converted at the far post to complete the comeback.
“No words, no words. A joy for our country, for our people. The other day, I said this group never stops surprising me. And I’ll tell you the truth, we’re going to try to win, we’re going to leave everything out there, but after this it’s very difficult to get people to understand what these players are showing. It’s incredible. We are unique, truly, and it’s not arrogance, it’s from the heart. We are unique. These people today carried us to win the match, so I’m grateful,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said after the match.
“I dreamed it, I swear. I told Alexis [Mac Allister] that I was going to score. I told him. I told Facu Medina on the bench that I was going to come on and win it. And it happened. Enzo scored a great goal too, and now that I’m calmer, I can say this team keeps showing what it’s made of. England got tired. They pressed for 60 minutes. After that they had nothing left, then they dropped back, and that gave us more composure when moving the ball. We stretched the field and, in the end, we scored the two goals. After three and a half years, we’re back in a World Cup final,” said match-winner Lautaro Martínez.
England captain Harry Kane lamented his team’s inability to hold onto its lead.
“I’m gutted for the team, the staff, and the fans. We played a good game for most of it. When we went 1-0 up, we seemed to try to hold on, which at this level is not enough. We worked so hard to be here. The lads gave every bit of blood, sweat, and tears. To fall short like we did is just gutting.
“In the first half and at the start of the second half, we pressed them well. We put them under a lot of pressure high up the pitch. That allowed us to win the ball and control the game. After our goal, whether it was them committing more players forward or us not being able to match them player for player, it was just wave after wave of Argentina attacks. The lads kept making blocks, but in the end it wasn’t enough. We had a lot of good moments in this tournament and another semifinal. We keep talking about knocking on the door. We’re close. We just need to find that missing piece in the final stages of the tournament,” Kane said.
