England looked set for a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final. Anthony Gordon’s goal in the 55th minute had given Thomas Tuchel’s side the lead, and as the clock ticked down, England did what they had done against Norway and Mexico earlier in the tournament, protect the advantage.But against Lionel Messi and Argentina, that plan lasted only so long.Messi produced two assists in the last minutes as Argentina came from behind to beat England 2-1 on Wednesday (local time) and book a place in Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain. Enzo Fernandez equalised in the 85th minute before Lautaro Martinez headed home Messi’s cross in the second minute of stoppage time to complete another Argentina comeback. It was another example of Argentina finding a way late in matches. They have now scored 11 goals after the 75th minute in this tournament.For much of the first 60 minutes into the game, England had managed Messi well. Tuchel’s side packed the central areas whenever Argentina built from the back. Elliot Anderson stayed close to Messi whenever the ball was played into him, refusing to allow the Argentine captain time to turn. England also made sure they always had numbers around the middle of the pitch, with Harry Kane regularly dropping deeper to help close passing lanes.It made life uncomfortable for Messi. By half-time, the 39-year-old had lost possession 15 times, more than in the opening 45 minutes of any match he had played across the previous two World Cups or Copa America tournaments. Neither side was willing to take unnecessary risks. The opening half produced only three shots, while the physical battle resulted in 19 fouls as both teams tried to deny space rather than create it.Even after Gordon’s goal, England continued to deny Messi space. By the 60th minute, he had created only one chance, while none of his three crosses had reached a teammate.But the game slowly changed.
England’s bid to hang on blown apart by Argentina masterclass
Trying to protect their lead, England retreated deeper and deeper. Tuchel made changes to strengthen the defence, yet those substitutions also invited Argentina forward. Between Gordon’s goal and Lautaro Martinez’s winner, England had only 12 per cent of possession.That allowed Messi and his troops to dictate the game.Instead of receiving the ball in crowded central areas, he began drifting into wider positions where he had more time and space. Argentina also found more room through Rodrigo De Paul and Alexis Mac Allister, stretching England’s compact defensive shape.Around 10 minutes before the equaliser, De Paul delivered a cross from the right that found Mac Allister, whose effort struck the post. It served as a warning that England were struggling to get out of their own half.Soon after, Argentina created another chance. While eight England outfield players were positioned around their own penalty area to mark just three Argentina attackers, Enzo Fernandez, Messi and De Paul were left with space outside the box.Fernandez collected the ball, drove forward and forced Jordan Pickford into a save. The resulting corner eventually led to Argentina’s equaliser in the 85th minute.
To protect the lead, England drew closer and closer to its own goal, hoping to build the sort of impenetrable wall it had when it held on to beat Mexico in the round of 16 despite being down to 10 players.Tuchel had swapped defender Reece James for Dan Burn, and midfielder Declan Rice for defender Nico O’Reilly in the 82nd minute.The equaliser came exactly the area England had left exposed.Messi collected the ball on the right and found Fernandez outside the penalty area. Jude Bellingham, showing signs of fatigue, could not close him down quickly enough as the Chelsea midfielder struck from distance to make it 1-1.With nine minutes of stoppage time added, Scaloni’s players continued pushing forward while England struggled to move their defensive line higher up the pitch.The decisive moment came in the second minute of added time.Argentina kept coming and England’s wall kept crumbling. The defending champions hit the crossbar and missed another header across the mouth of the goal before Martinez finally sealed it with a powerful close-range header when England defenders lost him on a cross from Messi. Lautaro Martinez timed his run perfectly, rose above his marker and headed past Pickford to send Argentina into another World Cup final.England had protected leads against Mexico and Norway earlier in the tournament by relying on their defensive shape. Against Argentina, however, sitting back only increased the pressure.By conceding territory, England allowed Messi to influence the game. Argentina kept moving the ball, kept stretching the defence and eventually found the openings they needed.“They got tired,” Martinez said after the game. “They pressed for 60 minutes and then just ran out of steam. They got their goal and then sat back. That gave us more composure to move the ball around and stretch the pitch.”
