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Argentina, never say die.
Once again, the Argentines came back, this time against England, to win 2-1 in the World Cup semi-final and keep alive the dream of repeating as champions. Argentina stayed off the scoreboard for 85 minutes, finally breaking through when Lionel Messi set up Enzo Fernandez just outside the penalty area, and the 25-year-old hooked a shot past England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and into the back of the net to tie it at 1-1.
Then, Lautaro Martínez played the hero when he came off the bench and entered Argentine soccer history by scoring the winning goal in the stoppage. In the 92nd minute, Messi recorded his second assist after picking up a loose ball and making a beautiful pass into the penalty area, where Martínez was waiting unmarked. Martínez headed the ball past Pickford to send the Argentine fans wild as they completed the comeback.
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Lautaro Martinez of Argentina scores his team’s second goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium on July 15, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Alex Livesey/Danehouse/Getty Images)
England tried to tie the game in the remaining injury time, but were unable to create a quality chance.
The first half was largely uneventful, as it was the first game since 1966 in which neither team scored a shot in the first half, according to the FOX broadcast.
Anthony Gordon started the scoring when he buried a Morgan Rogers cross to put England first on the scoreboard in the 55th minute with an acrobatic finish. Harry Kane sparked the counterattack with a long pass that left the Argentine defense baffled for the first time in the entire match.
However, that would end up being the only true scoring opportunity of the game for the Three Lions. After England got on the board, Argentina’s pressure was relentless, but England was able to withstand the Argentine attack for about 30 minutes.
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Argentine Enzo Fernández beats English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford during the World Cup semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP)
England defender Djed Spence made a fantastic tackle in the 58th minute to help keep Argentina off the board after a Giuliano Simeone breakaway.
Argentine goalkeeper Emilio Martínez had a great performance in the 66th minute as he made his first save of the match on Declan Rice to keep the score at 1-0 and avoid putting Argentina in a multi-goal hole. After the stoppage, Argentina quickly counterattacked and went back on the attack.
Pickford, England’s all-time leader in World Cup appearances, made a remarkable goal-line save from a Nicolas Gonzalez header just before half-time to hydrate to preserve England’s 1-0 lead.
Alexis Mac Allister kept the pressure on for Argentina when his 76th-minute header hit the post. Pickford made his fourth save of the match when he cut out Fernandez’s shot in the 86th minute, but the Argentine broke through later in the minute.
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Argentine Enzo Fernandez reacts after Argentina’s victory over England in the World Cup semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (Jacob Kupferman/AP)
On a corner kick, Messi set up Fernandez just outside the box, and the 25-year-old hooked a shot around Pickford into the back of the net.
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With the victory, Argentina has the opportunity to become the first consecutive world champion since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
They will face Spain in the final on Sunday at 3 pm ET on FOX.
