Argentina scored twice in the final five minutes of regulation and stoppage time to beat England 2-1 in the World Cup semi-final in Atlanta, extending the holders’ bid to become the first back-to-back champions since Brazil in 1962. Anthony Gordon had given England a 55th-minute lead, finishing a low cross from Morgan Rogers after a swift counter-attack, but Enzo Fernández levelled in the 85th minute with a curling strike from the edge of the area and substitute Lautaro Martínez headed the winner two minutes into added time. Both goals were created by Lionel Messi, who now has 12 assists in World Cup knockout matches—six more than any other player in the past six decades.

The first half was a tense, physical affair that produced no shots on target, with eight fouls in the opening 15 minutes and a yellow card for England’s Elliot Anderson after a challenge on Messi. England struck early in the second period when Harry Kane’s long pass released Declan Rice, who fed Rogers to deliver the cross for Gordon. After taking the lead, Thomas Tuchel’s side retreated, and Argentina’s pressure became relentless. Jordan Pickford made a superb save from a Nicolás González header, Alexis Mac Allister struck the post with a header, and Fernández forced another fine stop before finally beating Pickford from Messi’s lay-off. Mac Allister hit the post again in the 92nd minute, and Messi collected the rebound to deliver the cross for Martínez’s decisive header.

Argentina will face Spain in the final on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, while England meet France in the third-place play-off in Miami on Saturday. The result means England’s wait for a first World Cup final appearance since their 1966 triumph continues; they have now lost three semi-finals since 1990. Argentina, who won the title in Qatar in 2022, are into their seventh final and second in succession, a feat they last achieved in 1986 and 1990.

In Buenos Aires, the comeback was framed as another demonstration of the side’s resilience under Lionel Scaloni, who said his players “never stop surprising me” and described them as “unique”. English analysts, by contrast, focused on Tuchel’s decision to introduce three defenders after the hydration break, which ceded territory and invited the late onslaught. Tuchel admitted his team “became too passive” and could not regain control. Messi, at 39, became the oldest outfield player to appear in a World Cup semi-final and will now contest his third final, equalling the record of Brazil’s Cafu. The match, played before 68,239 fans, added another chapter to a rivalry that has produced iconic World Cup moments, though the immediate sporting consequence is a final between the reigning champions of South America and Europe.