Argentina overturned a one-goal deficit in the closing minutes to beat England 2-1 in Atlanta on Wednesday, sending the defending champions through to the 2026 World Cup final and setting up a title decider against Spain on Sunday.
For most of the night at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, England looked the likelier side to reach the final. Anthony Gordon put Thomas Tuchel’s team ahead in the 55th minute, finishing off a cross from Morgan Rogers, and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford then held Argentina off with a run of sharp saves as the pressure mounted. Alexis Mac Allister rattled the inside of the post with a header, and for a long stretch the tie hung on English resistance rather than Argentine creativity.
The turn came in the 85th minute. Enzo Fernández, moments after seeing an effort tipped over the crossbar, curled a low strike from roughly 18 metres (20 yards) past Pickford to level the match. Lionel Messi supplied the pass, the first of two assists he would produce inside the final five minutes. In second-half stoppage time Messi floated a cross to the back post, where Lautaro MartÃnez rose to head the winner and complete another late Argentine comeback of the kind that has defined Lionel Scaloni’s run through this tournament.
The result flattered England only in the sense that the scoreline stayed close. Argentina held 64 percent of possession, took 14 shots to England’s five, and finished with an expected-goals figure of 1.84 against 0.53 for the Three Lions. Emiliano MartÃnez was rarely troubled in the Argentine goal, while at the other end England increasingly relied on long balls that Argentina’s defence mopped up as the match wore on.
Argentina now advance to face Spain, who beat France 2-0 in Tuesday’s first semifinal, in the final on Sunday. Victory would make Argentina the first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962, and would cap a tournament in which Messi, at 39, has repeatedly dragged his side out of trouble in the knockout rounds. England, beaten in a major semifinal once again, will play France in Saturday’s third-place match.
For those of us in Costa Rica, the final carries the added weight of regional loyalty. Messi remains one of the most followed athletes in Latin America, and Argentina’s pursuit of back-to-back titles is likely to draw a strong audience from Ticos and foreign residents alike when the final kicks off Sunday afternoon.
