ATLANTA STADIUM — Just when it looked as though the end of the road had arrived for the GOAT on the biggest stage in sports, Lionel Messi and Argentina made magic. The Albiceleste came back to win a World Cup semifinal for the ages, 2-1, over England on late goals by Enzo Fernández and substitute Lautaro Martínez. Anthony Gordon opened the scoring for England earlier in the second half off a perfect cross from Morgan Rogers — a goal that kept the Three Lions in front until there were just five minutes of regular time remaining.
But Fernández — who plays his club soccer for Premier League side Chelsea — scored a brilliant long-range equalizer off a pass from Messi. Fernández then sealed another famous win for Argentina over its transatlantic rival in stoppage time. It was a fitting end to an instant classic.
The atmosphere was off the charts in Georgia’s capital, with two of the most fervent supporters in sports taking over the city in the lead-up to the match. But while the packed crowd of almost 70,000 leaned decisively Argentine — Albiceleste fans completely drowned out "God Save the King" before kickoff – the English seemed destined early to finally return to the World Cup final for the first time since they won their only major trophy way back in 1966. Argentina will now take on Spain in Sunday’s title match at New York New Jersey Stadium, while England will head to a consolation match on Saturday against France in Miami.
Here are four takeaways from Wednesday’s unforgettable encounter. 1. Argentina — and Messi — Will Play For History In addition to the world title they won four years ago in Qatar, Scaloni’s team also won the Copa América as South American champions in 2021 and 2024, joining Spain’s 2008-2012 squad as the only nation to win the World Cup and a pair of continental titles on either side.
Now the Albiceleste will go for an unprecedented fourth straight major tournament title. Just getting the chance is an unbelievable achievement for a team that, despite its recent record, was not considered one of the favorites to win this World Cup. And maybe they won’t.
Still, who would bet against this team? A day before the match, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said the following: "We have a culture where we never write off a match as lost." Before Wednesday’s epic, Argentina came back from near death a couple of times during the knockout stage. On this day, they stared the Grim Reaper in the face and laughed.
While Spain might be the better team on paper, that piece of paper will mean nothing when the World Cup final kicks off. 2. Heartbreak For England Again For England, a 60-year World Cup drought will continue for at least another four years.
Getting to Sunday’s title match at New York New Jersey Stadium would have cleared a major hurdle on the way to breaking that streak. As Tuchel said on Tuesday, they’ve been getting closer. This was the Three Lions' second World Cup semifinal appearance in three tournaments; they also lost the final of the European Championship in 2020 (which was played in 2021 because of the global coronavirus pandemic) and 2024.
Tuchel signed a contract extension before this World Cup. England will be one of the contenders for Euro 2028. Still, captain Harry Kane will be 34 then, with no obvious replacement coming up behind him.
It’s hard to imagine Jude Bellingham being better than he was over the last few games, though both superstars were quiet against Argentina. The point is, there is no guarantee that this sort of opportunity will come around again in the next few years. Just ask anyone who is old enough to remember that glorious summer in London 60 years ago this month.
This was a chance squandered — one England’s players and fans will be thinking about for a long time to come. 3. Argentina’s Understudies Steal The Show In a match stocked with superstars, it was Messi’s supporting cast that came to his rescue on Wednesday.
For the second time in three matches, defensive-minded midfielder Fernández scored a hugely important goal to help keep Argentina in the World Cup. Martínez, the captain of Inter Milan and for years now the best player in all of Italy’s Serie A, would start for just about any other country. Yet he played the hero off the bench again, as he did by sealing the Albiceleste’s quarterfinal win over Switzerland last Saturday, just as he scored the game-winner over Colombia in the 2024 Copa final.
Not even the GOAT wins alone. Though Messi might be the straw that stirs the drink and the inspiration for the rest of his teammates, he’ll need help to hoist another World Cup on Sunday. Win or lose, that help will be there.
4. A Fitting Final For The Greatest World Cup Ever Both Argentina and England entered Wednesday’s contest knowing what was in store should they prevail, with Spain having defeated France in Dallas a day earlier to advance to the decisive match of the biggest sporting event on the planet. Now we all know.
It’s a fitting end to what will go down as the greatest World Cup of all time. Spain is the reigning European champion, having beaten this same English squad two summers ago in the Euro 2024 final. Argentina has claimed the last two Copa América titles as South America champions.
Oh, and they also happen to be the World Cup holders. As we saw with their ferocious showing against the English in Atlanta, the Albiceleste will not relinquish their hard-earned crown without a knock-down, drag-out fight — even against a team that is considered the stronger one by the sports books. Lionel Messi & Co. are trying to become the first repeat World Cup champion since Brazil, led by Pele, repeated all the way back in 1962.
Spain has everything to play for, too. For all their pedigree, La Roja has won just one World Cup, in 2010. The pre-tournament favorites are determined to add to that tally with the help of a player many consider as Messi’s most obvious successor: 19-year-old fellow Barcelona academy product Lamine Yamal.
