England 1-2 Argentina: Messi Sets Up Late Winner in World Cup Semifinal

For the first time in 21 years, England and Argentina met in a World Cup knockout match, and once again it was Argentina who walked away with the story to tell. Two goals in six second-half minutes, both created by Lionel Messi, turned a game England had led into a 2-1 comeback win that sends Argentina through to Sunday’s final and leaves England to nurse yet another gut-punch semifinal exit.

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A tense, physical opening

Many billed this as one of the most fiercely charged fixtures of the tournament, and it lived up to that expectation from the first whistle. Both camps arrived with tempers already simmering after politically charged comments in the build-up, and the opening exchanges reflected it a scrappy, foul-heavy stretch with barely a shot on target to show for it. Neither side could find real rhythm early on, with the game repeatedly breaking down into tangles and stoppages rather than football.

Gordon breaks the deadlock

The match finally sparked into life in the 55th minute when Anthony Gordon, picked out by a pinpoint Morgan Rogers cross, smashed England into the lead in transition. It was the kind of goal that seemed to vindicate England’s approach patient, compact, waiting to strike and for a spell it looked like it might be enough. Alexis Mac Allister came closest to an immediate reply, seeing a thumping header crash back off the inside of the post as Argentina searched for a way back in.

Messi’s late magic

Then came the six minutes that decided the match. In the 85th minute, Enzo Fernández curled a brilliant long-range strike into the net to level the score after the goalkeeper had tipped his earlier effort over the bar, with Messi creating the move. Argentina sensed the moment, and in the first minute of stoppage time, Messi again supplied the cross, this time picking out Lautaro Martínez, who rose to head home the winner and complete another dramatic late turnaround for Lionel Scaloni’s side their fourth such rescue act of this tournament alone, having already come from behind against Cape Verde, Egypt, and twice gone to extra time along the way.

It capped a night in which Messi, at 39, faced England for the first time in a career that has spanned more than 200 caps and delivered exactly when his team needed him most, with both assists.

What it means

For England, the pain is familiar. Thomas Tuchel’s side had shown genuine steel to reach this stage, coming through a brutal round-of-32 comeback in Mexico City and surviving extra time against Norway in the quarterfinal, with Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham responsible for nearly all of their goals before Gordon’s strike on Wednesday. But the manner of the collapse will sting a squad that came so close to ending 60 years of hurt on foreign soil after it went defensive too early following its lead, only to concede twice in the space of six minutes. England’s wait for a first World Cup since 1966 now stretches on, with no shortage of debate already starting over whether Tuchel’s late tactical caution cost his side a place in the final.

For Argentina, it is another instalment in a career, and a tournament, defined by refusing to go quietly. La Albiceleste now advance to face Spain who eliminated France 2-0 in Tuesday’s other semifinal in Sunday’s final at New Jersey. A win would make Argentina back-to-back world champions for the first time in 70 years, and give Messi a send-off no scriptwriter could have improved on. Spain has controlled the tournament from start to finish, so beating them will be a huge challenge. But if this World Cup has taught us anything about Argentina, it is that writing them off has rarely been a wise bet.

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