Messi sparks Argentina’s dramatic comeback over England to reach second straight World Cup final

Argentina forward Lionel Messi set up two goals in the final five minutes as the defending champion came from behind to beat England 2-1 on Wednesday and reach their second straight World Cup final.

England led at Atlanta Stadium through a second-half goal from forward Anthony Gordon. Argentina drew level in the 85th minute through midfielder Enzo Fernández and won it in the second minute of stoppage time, when forward Lautaro Martínez headed home. Messi created both goals.

The match was combative from the opening minutes, with 19 fouls whistled in the first half alone. The sharpest flashpoint came in the 37th minute, when a hard tackle by four players, including England midfielder Elliot Anderson, brought Messi down and stopped an Argentina counterattack. Players from both sides converged and had to be separated before play resumed. Anderson was booked, and tempers flared on the benches as well. Neither team managed a shot on goal, and the half ended scoreless.

England went ahead in the 55th minute. Morgan Rogers crossed from the right, and Gordon arrived to force the ball home. England then dropped deep. Manager Thomas Tuchel had used the same approach to protect leads in wins over Mexico in the round of 16 and Norway in the quarterfinals, but sitting so deep so early against Argentina proved costly.

Argentina kept pressing and leveled in the 85th minute, when Messi set up Fernández from a corner, and the midfielder drove a low shot from outside the box into the net. In the second minute of stoppage time, Messi crossed from the right for Martínez to head in the winner. England sent on attackers in search of an equalizer, but ran out of time. As the final whistle confirmed Argentina's place in the final, Messi knelt on the field and looked to the sky.

Messi did not score, but his two assists put him in front in the race for the Golden Boot, the award for the tournament's leading scorer. He and France's Kylian Mbappé each have eight goals, and Messi's four assists to Mbappé's three give him the edge on the first tiebreaker. Messi is playing in what is likely his final World Cup.

The comeback fit a pattern. Argentina has now won all four of their knockout matches either by coming from behind or in extra time. They needed extra time to see off Cape Verde in the round of 32, came back from two goals down to beat Egypt in the round of 16 and edged Switzerland in extra time in the quarterfinals despite playing a man short.

Argentina will meet Spain in Sunday's final at New York New Jersey Stadium. Spain reached the final by beating France 2-0. A win would give Argentina a fourth World Cup title and make them the first team to win consecutive titles since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

England, which has not reached a World Cup final since winning the tournament in 1966, again came up short. Their two leading scorers, forward Harry Kane and midfielder Jude Bellingham, were both kept quiet.

Each has six goals at this World Cup. It was England's third World Cup semifinal since 1966, and the team has also finished runner-up at the European Championship twice, in 2020 and 2024, without ever winning that title.

England will play France in the third-place match on Saturday at Miami Stadium.

BY PIH JU-YOUNG [[email protected]]