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Argentina in final after another Messi-inspired comeback
Late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez in 2-1 win against England set up title-round clash with Spain
This time, there were no tears. Perhaps Lionel Messi has made peace with the fact that this is how Argentina are going to do it. For the second time in four knockout matches, they were trailing. For the fourth time in as many games, they were living on the edge. Yet, England found out what Cabo Verde, Egypt and Switzerland have: this is not a team that even thinks of giving up. Five minutes from elimination in a World Cup semi-final? That’s a lot of time to score two.
So, exultation, not relief, it was for Messi at the final whistle in Atlanta on Wednesday (Thursday, Indian time). Before the smiles, the hugs and the handshakes, he had pumped arms, knees planted on the pitch. England had kept him quiet for most of the semi-final and yet, he ended with two assists. Lamine Yamal and Spain stand between Messi and his men doing what no team have since 1962 – retain the World Cup. Cue the photograph of baby Yamal and Messi getting another life on social media.
Lautaro Martinez’s stoppage-time winner was, including goals in extra-time, Argentina’s fourth after the 90th minute. Enzo Fernandez’s equaliser was their fifth after the 85th since the round of 32 and another had come in the 83rd. Both felt like coming for some time. Trailing by Anthony Gordon’s goal, Argentina had camped in English territory. England’s resistance broke when Fernandez scored with a screamer. He then put his arms to his ears, asking the crowd to make some noise. Crisis, what crisis? This is a team that revels in such situations. One that Juergen Klopp would have called mentality monsters.
Three times earlier, Fernandez had tried from range, his last effort needing to be tipped over by Jordan Pickford. Then, from a corner-kick played short, Messi tapped to him and Fernandez got it right, the ball arcing into Pickford’s goal. Pickford urged his team to focus but England were a step behind and being swamped by Argentina’s crosses. It was from one of them by Messi that Lautaro Martinez connected beautifully after sneaking into space.
After Messi doing all the scoring in the group phase, Argentina have found equalisers or winners from Julian Alvarez, Cristian Romero, Fernandez and now two in two games from the golden boot winner in Serie A last term.
The goals may be coming from others but there is no denying where the nerve-centre of attack is. By dropping deep to protect their lead, England handed Messi the kind of space he had been denied till Gordon’s 55th minute goal. Cutting inside from the right, drifting out wide, he directed Argentina’s attacks with precision. England’s lead wouldn’t have lasted three minutes had the impressive Djed Spence not put in a brilliant tackle on Giuliano Simone, one of the changes coach Lionel Scaloni had made to his starting line-up.
Scaloni replaced Leandro Parades with Nico Gonzalez in the 63rd minute and almost immediately Messi found him with a swinging pass but John Stones averted danger. Another ball from Messi for Gonzalez was cleared for a corner-kick, a third in the 69th minute needed a strong arm from Pickford. Never would the hydration break have felt so welcome for England.
Thomas Tuchel got taller players in including big Dan Burn but Argentina were creating chaos in the England penalty box. That continued after a triple substitution from Scaloni brought on Rodrigo de Paul and he found Alexis Mac Allister whose header crashed into the upright. Gonzalez was marginally offside when Messi found him next. Amid the carpet-bombing, Morgan Rogers stole the ball from Messi and wasted a strong run by going solo when he had options on both his left and right. Marc Guehi kept out a Nicolas Tagliafico delivery in the 80th minute before England ceded space to Fernandez. When Mac Allister hit the other upright with another header in 90+2, Messi reacted first and fired it back into the mix for Lautaro Martinez.
For the second time in three World Cups, England have been stopped in the semi-final. Like against Croatia in 2018, they had taken the lead. Dropping deep, Harry Kane played a long ball that was partially cleared. Declan Rice pounced on it and found Rogers, who crossed, and Gordon connected on the run after beating Nahuel Molina to the ball.
The match, which had no attempts on target in the first 30 minutes but six fouls in the first 10, opened up in the second half, with Simeone testing Pickford and Bellingham blocking Messi. But even though they had taken the lead, England were not in control. So, they tried playing for time. The problem was, they were playing a team for whom time had not run out. Yet.
