ATLANTA:
In the second semi-final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Argentina staged a brilliant last-minute comeback to beat England 1-2 to reach the final for the second time in a row, while the England team once again lost their dream of the world title.
In a thriller in Atlanta, England’s Thomas Tuchel came close to reaching the first men’s World Cup (since 1966) in a long time.
The first half of the tight contest saw intense play between the two teams with a total of 19 fouls committed and American referee Ismail El-Fateh struggled to control the match.
In the first half, Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez played a dangerous shot from distance that narrowly missed the target, but neither team scored until the break.
England took the lead in the 55th minute when Morgan Rodgers delivered a beautiful cross from the right and Anthony Gordon headed the ball into the far post to give his team a 1-0 lead.
After the goal, Argentina started to attack continuously. Nico Gonzalez’s dangerous goal was saved by England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford with an exceptional reflex when Alexis McAllister’s header hit the post.
Argentina equalized in the 85th minute when Enzo Fernandez took a beautiful shot from Messi’s pass from 25 meters to make it 1-1.
Argentina’s pressure increased after the goal. Another effort from McAllister held up, while in the 92nd minute of injury time, Lionel Messi delivered a superb cross that Lautaro Martinez headed home to give Argentina a historic 2-1 win.
With this victory, Argentina entered the second consecutive final of the World Cup against Spain on Sunday. On the other hand, England will face France in the third place match.
Argentina’s lightning comeback in the final moments of the match, Enzo Fernandez’s brilliant goal, Messi’s decisive assist and Lautaro Martinez’s winning goal gave the fans a memorable semi-final.
