Argentina stuns England with thrilling comeback to advance to World Cup final against Spain

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Argentina, never say die.

Once again, the Argentines came from behind, this time against England, to win 2-1 in the World Cup semifinal and keep the dream of repeating as champions alive. Argentina was held off the scoresheet for 85 minutes, and finally broke through when Lionel Messi set up Enzo Fernandez just outside of the penalty box, and the 25-year-old hooked a shot around England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford into the back of the net to knot it at 1-1.

Lautaro Martinez then played the hero as he came off the bench and into Argentine soccer lore by scoring the winning goal in stoppage. In the 92nd minute, Messi recorded his second assist after he gathered a loose ball and played a beautiful pass into the penalty area, where Martinez was waiting unmarked. Martinez headed the ball past Pickford to send the Argentine fans into a frenzy as they completed the comeback.

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Lautaro Martinez of Argentina scores his team's second goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Semi Final match between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium on July 15, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Alex Livesey/Danehouse/Getty Images)

England tried to tie it with the remaining stoppage time, but they were unable to muster up a quality chance.

The first half was largely uneventful, as it was the first game since 1966 in which neither team recorded a shot in the first half, according to the FOX broadcast.

Anthony Gordon got the scoring started when he buried a cross from Morgan Rogers to put England on the board first in the 55th