Messi pushes Argentina past England and into World Cup final
Argentina beat England 2-1 in Atlanta after Lionel Messi set up late goals by Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
3 min read
Lionel Messi turned England’s World Cup dream into a late-night Argentine revival in Atlanta, setting up two goals in the closing minutes as Argentina won Wednesday’s semifinal 2-1, according to NBC News.
England led through Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute goal and stood minutes from its first World Cup final in 60 years. Then Argentina broke through: Enzo Fernández struck from distance in the 85th minute, and substitute Lautaro Martínez headed in the winner during stoppage time.
The result sends Argentina to Sunday’s final against Spain. NBC News reported that Argentina, the top-ranked team in FIFA’s standings, now has a chance to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to win consecutive World Cup titles.
England blinked after taking the lead
The match began as a bruising stalemate. NBC News counted 19 combined fouls in the first half and no shots on target from either side, making it the first World Cup match since 1966 to reach halftime without a shot on goal.
England’s early structure caused Argentina problems, with Elliot Anderson shielding the defense effectively, according to NBC News. But after Gordon scored, manager Thomas Tuchel shifted into protection mode, adding defenders from the 72nd minute and dropping England into a deep 5-4-1 setup.
That choice invited pressure. NBC News reported England had only 12% possession between Gordon’s opener and Martínez’s winner. The only team at the tournament with a lower possession share over a comparable spell was Qatar, which lost 6-0 to Canada after being reduced to nine players.
Argentina kept pushing at England’s back line until Messi found the cracks. The 39-year-old finished with two assists and nine completed dribbles, a combination NBC News said made him the first player on record to hit both marks in a World Cup knockout match.
The contrast in penalty-area presence was sharp. England had seven touches in Argentina’s box all match, according to NBC News. Messi alone had seven in England’s.
Fernández grabs his moment
Fernández, who plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, supplied the equalizer with the kind of late punch Argentina needed. Men in Blazers described his 85th-minute goal as a top-class strike from outside the box and said he was central to Argentina reaching the final rather than the third-place game.
The 25-year-old midfielder was named the World Cup’s Young Player of the Tournament in 2022 and later joined Chelsea in a then-British transfer record move worth $138 million, according to Men in Blazers. The outlet also noted that no player in Wednesday’s match had more shots or touches than Fernández.
Men in Blazers argued that Fernández is becoming a key figure for Argentina as the team’s older core nears its limit, even while Messi remains the face of the run.
More semifinal pain for England
The defeat adds another entry to England’s long list of tournament near-misses. NBC News reported that since 1998, England has been knocked out each time it has faced a top-10 nation in the World Cup elimination rounds.
The Three Lions have now lost in the semifinals in two of the past three men’s World Cups. NBC News also pointed to a familiar pattern for England supporters: leads that slipped away in the 2018 World Cup semifinal against Croatia, the 2021 European Championship final against Italy and now this semifinal against Argentina.
Argentina moves on to Spain with Messi still pulling strings, Fernández rising fast and another comeback already tucked into its 2026 World Cup story.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.