Argentina reached a second consecutive World Cup final with a 2-1 victory over England in Atlanta, scoring twice in the final seven minutes of regulation to overturn a deficit that had persisted for more than half an hour. Anthony Gordon had given England the lead in the 55th minute, but Enzo Fernández equalised with a long-range strike in the 85th and Lautaro Martínez headed the winner two minutes into stoppage time. Both goals were supplied by Lionel Messi, who completed nine dribbles and became the first player on record to register at least nine dribbles and two assists in a World Cup knockout match.

The match pivoted on England’s tactical retreat after taking the lead. Head coach Thomas Tuchel introduced extra defenders as early as the 72nd minute and the side dropped into a deep 5-4-1 block, ceding possession and territory. Between Gordon’s goal and Fernández’s equaliser, England held only 12 per cent of the ball. Argentina, sensing the shift, pushed Messi wider to the right and sustained waves of pressure. Messi later told broadcasters that his team felt England “didn’t want to play any more” once the score was level, a reading of the contest that was echoed in British media analyses which described the defeat as a meek surrender of a winning position.

After the final whistle, Messi dedicated the victory to Diego Maradona, accepting a replica of the shirt Maradona wore when he scored his two iconic goals against England in the 1986 quarter-final. “Diego, from up there, is enjoying this a lot,” Messi said. “It was a very special day for him.” The tribute resonated across continents: Italian sports pages ran headlines such as “Lautaro de Dios”, linking Martínez’s decisive header to Maradona’s “Hand of God”, while French outlets labelled Argentina “Les Immortels” for their repeated late comebacks in the tournament.

The result was the most-watched UK broadcast of the year, drawing a peak audience of 21.5 million on BBC One. British front pages framed the elimination as a dream extinguished, with several noting that England had again surrendered a lead in a major semi-final. Spanish media, meanwhile, began billing Sunday’s final as a de facto “Finalíssima” between the reigning European and South American champions. In the United States, where the final will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, columnists highlighted Messi’s enduring capacity to shape the tournament’s biggest moments at age 39.

Argentina will face Spain on 19 July with the opportunity to become the first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962. Messi, who will appear in his third final, described the Spanish side as a team that plays “beautiful football” and predicted a fiercely contested match. England, meanwhile, will meet France in the third-place play-off.