After falling behind, Argentina rose to see off England

Starting Lineup

This was the kind of match dreamed of when Atlanta was awarded hosting rights.

Fans arrived in droves, filling downtown venues by mid-morning and carrying the rivalry towards Atlanta Stadium hours before kickoff. England supporters came with confidence after surviving a difficult path through the knockout rounds, convinced their team could return to a World Cup final. Argentina’s following arrived in greater numbers, turning streets, bars and gathering places blue and white before spreading through the stadium’s three levels.

It is one of football’s biggest rivalries, shaped by disputed goals and red cards to penalty shootouts and tournament exits. By kickoff, that history had been folded into a crowd of 68,239 and the loudest atmosphere yet in Atlanta’s World Cup.

1st Half

From the opening whistle, the crowd was electric as the two heavyweights met for the first time in more than two decades.

Argentina saw more of the ball early, working patiently across the field while England stayed close enough to challenge each pass into midfield. Lionel Messi repeatedly moved away from the front line to receive possession, with Elliot Anderson often the first England player sent towards him.

Neither side found an early opening. England’s pressure disrupted Argentina without forcing the game into a frantic pace. Argentina continued circulating the ball in search of space around the box. The match was largely balanced, and yet remained competitive even though neither side took a shot in more than half an hour.

The first shot came from England in the 32nd minute. Declan Rice delivered a free kick into the area and John Stones rose to meet it, sending his header wide. Argentina responded five minutes later. Messi found enough room to shoot from outside the area, but his effort was deflected away. Enzo Fernández reached the loose ball and drove the follow-up over the crossbar.

Messi received a pass around the half, then made an amazing run. Kane tried to bowl him over, but Messi kept his balance and continued through several England players before Anderson brought him down roughly and was shown a yellow card. It was a tactical foul England had little choice than to make. Argentina played the free kick short, working the ball closer to goal before Lisandro Martínez took a shot that sailed just over the crossbar.

Lisandro Martínez was booked five minutes later when he grabbed Rogers to stop a breakaway. The teams reached halftime scoreless

2nd Half

Argentina threatened within two minutes of the restart. Julián Álvarez collected a loose ball inside the area and shot from close range, but Jordan Pickford blocked it. Cristian Romero was booked in the 51st minute.

England broke through in the 55th minute after Tagliafico’s attempted clearance fell to Rice. He moved the ball quickly to Rogers, who drove down the right and whipped a low cross beyond Argentina’s back line. Gordon arrived at the back post and guided it past Emiliano Martínez before Molina could close him down.

Gordon raced towards the England supporters as his teammates followed him into the corner. The England end erupted, while the larger Argentina following briefly fell quiet.

Argentina responded quickly. Messi sent Álvarez into the area two minutes later, but Spence recovered with a sliding tackle and celebrated the stop as loudly as England had celebrated the goal.

Lionel Scaloni replaced Leandro Paredes with Nico González in the 64th minute. Four minutes later, González met a cross with a header that Pickford pushed away. Tuchel replaced Gordon with Ezri Konsa in the 72nd minute. At the same stoppage, Scaloni introduced Gonzalo Montiel, Rodrigo De Paul and Nicolás Otamendi.

After Gordon’s goal, England dropped deeper and conceded possession. The retreat became more pronounced after the subs, with England forming a back five around its penalty box. They were looking to bunker and protect a 1-0 lead. Argentina took the ball, pushed into a higher gear, and began sending attack after attack into England’s end.

Messi began finding room on the right and England could no longer stop the deliveries into the box. In the 75th minute, he picked out Alexis Mac Allister, whose header beat Pickford and struck the post. Mac Allister reached another cross soon after, forcing Pickford into a save.

Lautaro Martínez replaced Tagliafico in the 81st minute as Argentina committed another attacker. England responded by sending on Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly.

Argentina finally broke through in the 85th minute. Messi drew England towards the right before slipping the ball inside to Enzo Fernández outside the area. Fernández stepped past Bellingham’s late challenge and hammered a low shot through the crowded box and beyond Pickford into the corner. Fernández sprinted towards the Argentina supporters with his arms spread. Teammates and substitutes followed as the stadium shook beneath the returning noise.

Nine minutes of stoppage time were announced, and Argentina kept coming. Mac Allister struck the post again before England failed to clear the rebound. Messi gathered the ball on the right, stepped into space and lifted another cross towards the back post. Lautaro Martínez rose above the defense and headed it past Pickford in the 92nd minute.

Lautaro tore away as Argentina’s substitutes poured onto the field. England had been seven minutes from the World Cup final. Now Argentina were in front.

England threw players forward through the remaining stoppage time, but Argentina held on. At the final whistle, Argentina’s players sprinted towards one another as substitutes poured from the bench and the blue-and-white end erupted again. England’s players stood scattered across the field, some bent at the waist, others staring into the distance after watching a place in the final disappear.

Argentina had survived the final push. They were going to the World Cup final against Spain.

Closing Thoughts

England had only 12 percent of the possession between Gordon’s goal and Lautaro Martínez’s winner, a span of 38 minutes in which a place in the World Cup final slowly moved beyond its reach. The lead had given England something to protect, and Tuchel responded by withdrawing Gordon, adding defenders and compressing the field around Pickford. Against Argentina, that meant surrendering the ball to Messi and waiting for the pressure to break.

Argentina kept advancing, kept crossing and kept returning to the loose balls England could not clear. Fernández’s equalizer punished the space outside the box. Lautaro’s winner punished another failed clearance and another Messi delivery from the right. England had defended within sight of the final, but could not hold the line for seven more minutes.

For Atlanta, the final whistle closed the city’s involvement in the 2026 World Cup. The semifinal was the largest occasion on its schedule. England led deep into the second half, but Argentina refused to let the match go. Messi created both late goals, and the defending champions turned the game in seven minutes.

Messi left Atlanta without a goal, but with both assists and command of the match’s decisive minutes. Argentina’s captain carried his tournament total to eight goals and four assists and led the defending champions into another World Cup final.

Atlanta’s 2026 World Cup was over. Argentina move onto the final against Spain. What a run it’s been.