ATLANTA (Diya TV) – Argentina scored two goals in the final six minutes of the Semifinal FIFA World Cup 2026 match, completing a shocking comeback to defeat England 2-1 and advance to the final.
The first half of the match was largely physical, with the two teams receiving a total of 19 fouls in the first half alone. There were also zero shots on target, the first time a World Cup match has ever reached half-time without a single shot on target since 1966.
England took the lead in the 55th minute when Anthony Gordon scored, assisted by Morgan Rogers. After taking the lead, England switched to a defensive strategy, bringing out extra defenders and switching from a back four to a back five. This tactic had worked for England in earlier matches, but this time it left England without an attacking threat and allowed Argentina to control the rest of the match.
With England sitting deeper, Argentina began to play more offensively. England Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made two key saves: in the 69th minute, he blocked a shot from Nico Gonzalez, and in the 76th minute, he saved the rebound after Alexis Mac Allister hit the post.
Argentina finally broke through in the 85th minute, when Enzo Fernandez, assisted by Lionel Messi, evened the score. Two minutes into stoppage time, Messi set up Lautaro Martinez, who scored the winning goal.
“It was tough. We couldn’t bring it over the line. No regrets,” Thomas Tuchel, England’s manager, told the BBC. England Captain Harry Kane went further, sharing how deeply the loss stung the players: “The lads have given every last bit of sweat, blood, tears, whatever it is. To fall short like we did today is just gutting.”
On the other side, Messi credited the resilience of the Argentinian team, saying, “Once again, we’ve established ourselves among the top two teams in the world. That proves that everything we’ve done is no fluke and that nothing was handed to us.”
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni feels optimistic as he looks forward to the upcoming final match: “We’re going to give it our all…We have to enjoy this now, because tomorrow we start thinking about Sunday’s final against Spain.”
This marks the third time Argentina has eliminated England from a World Cup following 1986 and 1998, continuing Argentina’s pattern of scoring the winning goal during stoppage time.
Argentina will go on to face Spain in the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, July 19, 2026, while England will play France in Saturday’s third place match in Miami Gardens, Florida.
