Argentina Beat England 2-1 to Reach World Cup Final

Argentina are through to the World Cup final after coming from behind to beat England 2-1 in a dramatic semi-final at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday night.

Anthony Gordon put England ahead just after the hour mark, and for a long stretch it looked like Thomas Tuchel's side might reach their first men's World Cup final since 1966. But Argentina turned things around late on, with Enzo Fernández levelling five minutes from time and Lautaro Martínez heading in the winner deep into stoppage time, both goals set up by Lionel Messi.

England's World Cup run ends here, and they now face France in Saturday's third-place playoff. Argentina will play Spain in Sunday's final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, as they try to defend the title they won in 2022.

The first half was tense and tight, with little to separate the two sides. There were 19 fouls before the break as the referee struggled to keep control of a feisty, physical game. Argentina had the better of the early chances but couldn't find a breakthrough.

England took the lead in the 55th minute when Morgan Rogers whipped in a cross from the right and Gordon finished it off at the far post. For a while, it seemed to be enough. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni made a triple substitution in the 72nd minute, bringing on Rodrigo De Paul, Gonzalo Montiel and Nicolás Otamendi, and the changes pushed his team higher up the pitch with more width.

That shift paid off. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made a brilliant save to deny Nico González, and Alexis Mac Allister hit the post twice as the pressure built. Argentina finally got their goal in the 85th minute, Fernández driving one in from around 25 yards. Two minutes into stoppage time, Messi picked out Martínez, who headed home to complete the comeback. England threw on Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney in a late push, but there was no way back.

By full time, the gap in the numbers was clear. Argentina finished with 64% possession and completed nearly 600 passes to England's 331, while also outshooting them 14 to 6, with 5 shots on target compared to England's 2. Argentina were credited with 1.80 expected goals against England's 0.54, a fair reflection of how the game shifted after half-time. They also won 6 corners to England's 1 and were the more aggressive side in the tackle, picking up more fouls and cards in the process.

Some England players had positive nights individually. Elliot Anderson covered a lot of ground and won plenty of duels in midfield, and Declan Rice was solid before he was withdrawn. But Tuchel's decision to load up with defenders after Gordon's goal, including bringing on Ezri Konsa with 18 minutes left, seemed to invite pressure rather than relieve it, and England ended up pinned back in their own box for long spells.

For Argentina, Messi was the standout performer and picked up the player of the match award. He finished with two assists, created several big chances, and was heavily involved in progressing the ball up the pitch all night. Fernández also had a strong game, scoring the equaliser and completing the vast majority of his passes, while Martínez needed just one shot to get the winner.

England will look back on this as one of their harder losses in recent tournaments. They were close, holding the lead deep into the second half, but couldn't hold on once Argentina found their rhythm. Argentina, by contrast, showed the composure and depth of a team peaking at the right time, and now have a chance to win back-to-back World Cups against Spain on Sunday.