With five minutes of normal time remaining in Atlanta on Wednesday, England were winning a World Cup semifinal and heading for their first final in 60 years.
They lost. Argentina beat England 2-1 with a goal in the 85th minute and another two minutes into stoppage time, and the holders are through to Sunday’s final against Spain. Lionel Messi did not score. He set up both.
If that pattern sounds familiar, it should. This is the third time in this tournament that Argentina has been close to going out and refused to.
How Argentina Beat England in Atlanta
England 1-2 Argentina (Gordon 55′; Fernandez 85′, Lautaro Martinez 90+2′) – Atlanta Stadium
Anthony Gordon put England ahead in the 55th minute, reading Morgan Rogers’ curling cross perfectly and cutting across the six-yard box to finish beyond Emiliano Martinez. For half an hour, the lead held.
Then Enzo Fernandez struck. Collecting a pass from Messi, the Chelsea midfielder bent a shot from outside the box that Jordan Pickford, who had been magnificent all night, could not reach. Five minutes later, Alexis Mac Allister hit the post, Messi recovered the loose ball, drove to the right and floated a cross to the back post where Lautaro Martinez rose to head home.
Argentina beat England by suffocating them. The numbers tell the story of a siege, with Argentina taking 64 percent possession, 14 shots to England’s six, and six on target to England’s three. England managed one corner all match.
The Pattern Nobody Can Explain
Before Wednesday, Fox’s broadcast counted nine Argentina goals in this World Cup scored after the 75th minute. That number is now eleven.
Their route here has been a sequence of escapes. They needed extra time to survive Cape Verde 3-2 in the round of 32. They trailed Egypt 2-0 with 11 minutes left in the round of 16 before scoring three times in 13 minutes. They beat Switzerland 3-1 in a quarterfinal that was level at 1-1 in the 72nd minute.
Argentina has not been the best team at this tournament. They have been the team that does not lose.
Tuchel’s Long Half Hour
England’s collapse invites a harder question than bad luck.
Thomas Tuchel replaced Anthony Gordon, his goalscorer, with a defender while 1-0 up, then brought on two more defenders in the closing stages. England spent the final 20 minutes unable to leave their own half. Spanish media immediately drew the comparison to 2024, when Tuchel’s Bayern Munich led at the Bernabeu, went defensive, and lost 2-1.
Tuchel said afterward he had no regrets about the second half. Harry Kane was more reflective, saying England had a lot of good moments and another semifinal, that they keep knocking on the door and are close, and that they are just missing the final piece.
What Sunday Means
Argentina beat England to earn a date with Spain at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, 19 July. France meets England in the third-place playoff in Miami on Saturday.
A win would make Argentina the first nation to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1958 and 1962. That Brazil side had Pele. This one has Messi, who faced England for the first time in his career on Wednesday and left with two assists. According to FIFA’s official match report, Argentina fought back from the brink to reach a final that pits Messi against Lamine Yamal, the 18-year-old who dismantled France.
Spain has conceded once in six matches. Argentina has conceded in nearly every knockout round and won anyway. One of those records broke on Sunday.
Argentina’s 13-minute comeback against Egypt set the template for this run, which we covered from Atlanta.
Stay with NEWSCOUR for full coverage of Sunday’s final.
