Argentina scored twice in the final seven minutes to beat England 2-1 in the World Cup semifinal in Atlanta. Enzo Fernandez equalized in the 83rd minute and Lautaro Martinez headed home the winner from a Lionel Messi cross. Argentina will face Spain in Sunday's final.
England was five minutes from a World Cup final for the first time in 60 years. Then Argentina scored twice.
Argentina defeated England 2-1 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal in Atlanta on Wednesday, scoring two goals in the final seven minutes to snatch victory from a side that had held a 1-0 lead since the 55th minute. Enzo Fernandez equalized in the 83rd minute with a curling strike from the edge of the area, and Lautaro Martinez headed home the winner in the 90th minute off a cross from Lionel Messi. Argentina will face Spain in Sunday's final in New Jersey, seeking to become the first nation to repeat as World Cup champions since Brazil in 1962.
"After we scored, we couldn't keep the level up. We couldn't win any balls, we couldn't keep the ball. The match changed completely," England head coach Thomas Tuchel said after the defeat.
England had taken the lead through Anthony Gordon, who turned in a cross from Morgan Rogers at the far post after Declan Rice played the ball wide. The goal came after nearly 60 minutes of cagey play in which both sides sized each other up without landing a decisive blow. England's plan to contain Messi had worked for most of the match, limiting the Argentina captain's influence until the final minutes.
The Collapse
England responded to taking the lead by retreating deeper into its own territory, a pattern familiar to anyone who has followed the country's tournament history over the past half-century. Attacks dried up, clearances were launched aimlessly upfield, and Argentina held 88 percent of possession in the final 35 minutes after England went ahead. Djed Spence celebrated tackles like he'd scored. Harry Kane defended inside his own penalty area. Jordan Pickford parried every attempt in his airspace.
Then, with five minutes remaining in regulation, Fernandez struck from distance — a goal that immediately joined the list of most heartbreaking goals England has ever conceded, alongside Mikel Oyarzabal's 86th-minute winner in the Euro 2024 final and Mario Mandzukic's extra-time header in the 2018 World Cup semifinal.
Seven minutes later, Messi wriggled free on the right wing and delivered a cross that Martinez headed home at point-blank range, sending the Argentina fans behind the goal into a frenzy and England's shell-shocked players collapsing to the turf.
A Rivalry Renewed
The match marked the first meeting between England and Argentina in 21 years and their first World Cup encounter since England won 1-0 in the 2002 group stage. For Argentina, the victory conjured memories of famous wins over their old enemy — Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal in 1986, Antonio Rattin's ejection at Wembley in 1966, and the political backdrop of the 1982 war for control of the Falkland Islands. After the match, Argentina players unfurled a flag bearing the inscription "Las Malvinas son Argentinas."
England's quest to return to the summit of the sport it invented stretches on. The Three Lions have now gone 60 years since their lone World Cup championship in 1966, a drought that includes ugly goals, untimely ejections, the ritual humiliation of penalty shootouts — and now, a collapse from five minutes away from the final.
Argentina, meanwhile, will play Spain on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, aiming for their fourth World Cup title and second in succession. Spain reached the final by defeating France 2-1 in the other semifinal.
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