07/15/26 06:27:00
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07/15 18:26 CDT Defending champion Argentina reaches World Cup final by beating
England 2-1
Defending champion Argentina reaches World Cup final by beating England 2-1
By JAMES ROBSON
AP Soccer Writer
ATLANTA (AP) --- No "Hand of God" this time. Argentina didn't need it.
Instead it was the hallowed feet of Lionel Messi and the unbreakable spirit of
a team that has repeatedly fought back at this year's World Cup that is now one
step away from back-to-back titles.
Trailing 1-0 going into the 85th minute, Argentina rallied for a 2-1 victory
over England on Wednesday with goals from Enzo Fernandez and substitute Lautaro
Martinez.
"I dreamed it, I swear. I told Alexis (Mac Allister) that I was going to score.
I told him that I was going to come on and I was going to win it," Martinez
said. "I can tell you this team keeps showing what it's made of."
At the final whistle, Messi fell to his knees in celebration while England
players collapsed in disbelief --- again.
Add 2026 to 1986 and 1998 on the list of games when Argentina has extinguished
English hopes at the World Cup.
"I'm gutted for the team, the staff, the fans," England captain Harry Kane
said. "We worked so hard to be here. The lads have given every bit of blood,
sweat and tears. To fall short like we did is just gutting."
The defending champions will take on European champion Spain in the final on
Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The best that South America has to offer
against the best of Europe.
The loss for England will hurt a new generation of fans in a similar way to
Diego Maradona's infamous handball goal in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals and
the penalty shootout loss in 1998 when David Beckham was sent off for kicking
Diego Simeone.
The difference is there can be no sense of injustice this time, even if England
had victory in its sights after Anthony Gordon scored the opening goal in the
55th minute.
The English were hanging on as the game wore on. England goalkeeper Jordon
Pickford made vital saves while Mac Allister sent a header off the post as wave
after wave of Argentina attacks came.
Messi had largely been kept quiet. But when he's on the field, anything seems
possible.
He fed the ball to Fernandez to sweep in the equalizer from outside the box in
the 85th minute. And two minutes into stoppage time, Messi sent in a cross for
Martinez to head in the winner.
It almost felt inevitable. Especially given the amount of times Argentina has
simply refused to give in at this year's World Cup. From Cape Verde to Egypt,
Messi and Co. always seem to find a way.
"It is a show of the collectiveness, the brotherhood that we are in, the fight
to the very end that we've got," Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. "We were
ready to go home, sad, knowing that we had left everything on the pitch, but
after they scored we really proved ourselves."
England, in contrast, came up short in the World Cup semifinals for the third
time after losses to Germany in 1990 and Croatia in 2018. And it's another
occasion in recent years when England's players have squandered a winning
position in the later stages of a major tournament.
They led 1-0 against Croatia in the semifinals eight years ago and lost 2-1.
They were up 1-0 against Italy in the European Championship final in 2021 and
lost on penalties.
On Wednesday, England coach Thomas Tuchel's substitutions seemed to be more
intent on holding on, rather than killing the game off with another goal.
"Argentina played with more risk, played with more rhythm, played with the
feeling maybe that they have nothing to lose anymore, which freed them up and
held us back because we played suddenly with a feeling that we have a lot to
lose," Tuchel said.
Argentina is now one step away from history. Messi, now 39 and likely playing
at his last World Cup, is one win away from further strengthening his case to
be considered the greatest soccer player of all time.
"We're going to try to win, we're going to leave everything out there," Scaloni
said. "It's very difficult to get people to understand what these players are
showing. It's incredible. We are unique, truly, and it's not arrogance, it's
from the heart. We are unique."
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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See more of AP's World Cup coverage here
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