ENGLAND 1-2 ARGENTINA: ENZO, LAUTARO FIRE LATE COMEBACK AS MESSI PROVIDES TWO ASSISTS
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By ‘Sefiu Ajape
Lionel Messi inspired another Argentina comeback as the reigning champions scored twice late on to defeat England 2-1 and book their place in the FIFA World Cup final.
Argentina will now face Spain at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday as they seek to successfully defend their world title.
Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez struck in the closing stages to overturn the advantage Anthony Gordon had given England.
The contest began cautiously, with both sides struggling to create clear-cut chances during a stop-start opening half.
England came closest when John Stones headed narrowly wide from a Declan Rice free-kick, while Fernandez fired over the crossbar after reacting to a blocked Messi effort, leaving Jordan Pickford scrambling.
Argentina returned from the break with greater urgency. Julian Alvarez beat Djed Spence but saw his near-post effort blocked by Pickford before his second attempt was diverted into the side netting.
Despite Argentina’s bright start to the second half, England broke the deadlock in the 55th minute. Following Lisandro Martinez’s acrobatic clearance, Rice regained possession and found Morgan Rogers, whose inviting cross was expertly finished by Gordon.
Argentina continued to push for an equaliser. Spence produced a crucial last-ditch challenge to deny Giuliano Simeone, while Pickford reacted sharply to keep out Nico Gonzalez’s glancing header.
Alexis Mac Allister then rattled the inside of the post from Rodrigo De Paul’s cross before Gonzalez nodded another opportunity across the face of goal as Argentina piled on the pressure.
The breakthrough eventually arrived five minutes from time. After Pickford tipped another Fernandez effort over the bar, Messi picked out the midfielder once more, and Fernandez curled a brilliant finish into the far corner to level the score.
Seven minutes later, Argentina completed the turnaround. Mac Allister’s low effort struck the post, but Messi recycled possession on the right before delivering another pinpoint cross into the area. Lautaro Martinez rose unmarked to power home a header and seal Argentina’s dramatic victory.
Argentina once again showcased their resilience after surviving a tense opening period in which chances were scarce.
The first half produced 19 fouls and no shots on target, marking the highest number of fouls without a single attempt on target in any half of football at this tournament.
It also became the first World Cup match on record since 1966 without a single shot in the opening 30 minutes, while the combined expected goals (xG) for both teams in the first half stood at just 0.08 — the lowest first-half total recorded in a World Cup knockout match.
Although the opening half lacked quality, Gordon continued his impressive form after the restart. The Newcastle United forward has now been directly involved in six goals in his last seven appearances for England, registering two goals and four assists after managing just two goal involvements in his first 18 internationals.
England, however, struggled to maintain their momentum after taking the lead, allowing Messi to once again influence the contest. The Argentine captain has now scored or assisted in 11 consecutive World Cup appearances, extending the longest such streak by any player since records began in 1966.
His two assists against England also took his tally to 12 in World Cup finals, with 10 of them coming in knockout matches. No other player has recorded more than eight assists overall in the tournament.
For England, it was another painful World Cup exit. They became the second England side this century to score first in a World Cup semi-final and still fail to reach the final, following their 2-1 extra-time defeat to Croatia in 2018.
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