ATLANTA — Argentina, the defending World Cup champions, advanced to a second consecutive final after a dramatic 2-1 semifinal victory over England at Mercedes‑Benz Stadium. The late rally produced two goals in the final minutes — an equalizer from Enzo Fernández and a stoppage‑time winner by Lautaro Martínez — both set up by 39‑year‑old Lionel Messi.
England took the lead in the 55th minute when Anthony Gordon tapped in a cross to make it 1-0. Argentina responded with increasing intensity, mounting a sustained assault that produced several close calls before Fernández unleashed a thunderous strike from outside the penalty area in the 85th minute to level the score at 1-1.
In stoppage time, Messi delivered a cross that Martínez met with a header, sending the Argentina section into raptures and sealing the 2-1 victory. Messi was credited with assists on both Argentine goals.
Argentina’s run to the final has been fraught with drama. For a fourth straight knockout match the champions faced late scares and narrow escapes: extra time against underdog Cape Verde, a comeback after falling 2-0 to Egypt, and a quarterfinal that stretched into extra time against Switzerland despite a 72nd‑minute red card. The team survived each test and found a way to prevail once more on Wednesday.
Their opponent in Sunday’s final will be Spain, which beat France 2-0 in the other semifinal to set up a showdown for the title.
Wednesday’s meeting — the sixth World Cup matchup between Argentina and England — was played amid reminders of the teams’ long, complicated rivalry. References to past World Cup moments surfaced in the lead‑up and afterward; Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, asked about the infamous “Hand of God” goal by Diego Maradona, steered attention toward Maradona’s overall performance, saying the world remembers that game and especially the second goal.
England coach Thomas Tuchel downplayed historical baggage before the game, telling reporters, “We respect our opponent, but we don’t dip in historic events, and we don’t make it bigger than it is.”
From the opening whistle the match was physical: hard tackles, shirt pulls and players flying to the turf. Referee Ismail Elfath, the first American man to officiate a World Cup semifinal, issued a yellow card to each side before halftime. Neither team managed a shot on target in the first half, with only three attempts in total.
The stadium was deafening, packed with thousands of Argentine supporters wearing the white and sky‑blue jerseys with Messi’s name and numbers of England fans in white and red cheering for stars such as Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. Still, England was unable to turn its chances into a route back to the final, extending a six‑decade wait to return to the tournament’s last match.
Argentina’s resilience and late finishing now set up a high‑stakes final against Spain, and the team — after surviving a gauntlet of tight knockout fixtures — heads into the title game with momentum and belief.
NPR’s Russell Lewis contributed reporting from Atlanta.