In a Patagonia town with an 85-foot Messi statue, Argentines celebrate reaching World Cup final

CUTRAL CO, Argentina: In a town in Patagonia boasting a new 26m statue of football great Lionel Messi, joyful Argentines celebrated their country's advance to the World Cup final after they beat long-time rivals England with two late goals in Atlanta.

It was a scene repeated in Buenos Aires and across the country. Now only Spain stand between Argentina and their attempt in Sunday's (Jul 19) final to become the first country to win back-to-back World Cup titles since 1962.

In Cutral Co in the southern province of Neuquen, a crowd of about 300 locals watched the game on a screen set up next to Messi's towering knees. They burst into screams as the referee blew his whistle at the end of the semi-final against England. Argentina came back from 1-0 down to win 2-1.

"It was a victory of suffering," said Lucas Romero, a 32-year-old local, standing next to his beaming wife.

He motioned to the statue in front of him: "It's a good recognition of all that Messi has done."

The showdown between the two countries on Wednesday was framed by history and rivalry, including England's victory at the 1966 World Cup, the memory of the 1982 war over the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Islas Malvinas, and Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal in 1986.

"This isn't just another match," wrote Argentina's Vice President Victoria Villarruel on X before the game.

"I'm not going to be politically correct or cold-hearted; against the English, it's always something more. It's the Malvinas, it's Diego, it's Leo's last one, and it's putting the brakes on the invaders."

Cutral Co is a town of about 40,000, with many families who work in the nearby oil fields of Vaca Muerta, a formation that holds among the world’s largest shale gas and oil reserves.