1 of 5 | Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates after beating England 2-1 in a 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal Wednesday at Atlanta Stadium. Photo by Christian Brunskill/UPI | License Photo
Lionel Messi assisted two late scores to spark a historic rally past England, leading Argentina back to the World Cup Final on Wednesday in Atlanta.
The top-ranked Argentines trailed 1-0 until the 85th minute of the tense semifinal meeting with their rivals at Atlanta Stadium. Enzo Fernandez logged a long-distance equalizer to keep the reigning champions alive. Lautaro Martinez, an 80th-minute substitute, netted the game-winning goal in stoppage time.
“This is really powerful,” Martinez said on the Fox broadcast. “From the first time my old man bough me a pair of boots, I always dreamed of scoring this goal.”
With the victory, the Argentines became the first team in history to score multiple winning goals in second-half stoppage time in a single World Cup. The reigning champions will face No. 2 Spain in the finale Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J.
“It’s an incredible achievement to go to back-to-back finals in World Cups,” Argentina goalie Emiliano Martinez said. “We just need to enjoy this moment and prepare for the final.”
Neither team netted a goal through an intense first half, which featured physical play and several close chances. The crowd of nearly 70,000 bathed the field in chants, attempting to drown the tones of their foes.
Messi frolicked in the gaps, dribbling around Three Lions defenders, who were often forced to foul the soccer sensation to prohibit attacks.
Anthony Gordon finally started the scoring when he converted off an assist from fellow Three Lions winger Morgan Rogers in the 55th minute.
Forward Harry Kane triggered that score when he dropped deep and fired a long feed down the right flank for Rogers. The pass was intercepted, but eventually reached Rogers, who fired a cross from outside the box. The ball dropped right in front of the goal for Gordon, who used his first touch to beat Martinez between the pipes.
The No. 4 Three Lions defense initially held off Argentina’s responses. Messi sent a cross to forward Nico Gonzalez on one of those attempts, but goalie Jordan Pickford spoiled his header with a save to his right in the 69th minute.
Midfielder Alexi Mac Allister hit the left post during another equalizer attempt in the 76th minute. The Argentines finally tied the score about 15 minutes later. Messi first dribbled near the right side of the box and released a pass to Fernandez. The midfielder tapped the ball ahead and used his second touch to rip a shot past a diving Pickford.
Mac Allister hit the post a second time in the 92nd minute, beating a diving Pickford before drilling the right side of the goal. Just seconds later, Messi teed up the game-winner.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner first ran in to recover the rebounded Mac Allister shot. He then dribbled to the end line and curled a right-footed pass toward the back post. The feed narrowly cleared several Three Lions defenders and found the head of Martinez, who finished with a flick behind Pickford.
“The other day, I said that this group can’t stop surprising me,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “In all honesty, we are going to try to win it all. We are going to give it all. But after this, it’s going to be very hard. To try to make people understand how much players give, it’s incredible.”
With the loss, the Three Lions dropped to 0-3 in their last three World Cup semifinal appearances. They last reached the final in 1966, when they beat West Germany for their lone title.
“It’s a similar story to what’s happened in previous tournaments,” Kane told reporters. “We struggled to keep the momentum of the game.”
Argentina will now attempt to become just the third team to win back-to-back World Cups, joining Brazil and Italy. A win would also tie Argentina with Germany and Italy for the second-most World Cups in history, with four, trailing only Brazil’s five.
The Argentines and Spaniards will meet at 3 p.m. EDT Sunday at New York-New Jersey Stadium. England will take on No. 3 France in the third-place game Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla.
FIFA World Cup: Spain defeats France, reaches finals
Spain’s Pedro Porro celebrates after his team defeated France 2-0 in their 2026 FIFA World Cup match in Dallas on July 14, 2026. Spain advanced to the World Cup final against either Argentina or England. Photo by Christian Brunskill/UPI | License Photo
