Argentina kept their World Cup defence alive with a 2-1 comeback win over England, setting up a final against Spain and leaving Lionel Messi one step away from another title.
The match followed a familiar tournament pattern: a largely uneventful first half, then a decisive shift in the second period. England led through Anthony Gordon on 56 minutes, but Argentina stayed in the game, found their rhythm late on and turned the contest around with Lionel Messi central to both goals.
Messi turns the game
At 85 minutes, Enzo Fernandez levelled the match for Argentina after Messi provided the assist. Seven minutes later, in the 92nd minute, Messi was involved again, setting up Lautaro Martinez for the winner that completed the turnaround.
It was a result that underlined why Argentina remain such a difficult side to put away. Even when the match looked set to drift in England's favour, Lionel Scaloni's team kept pushing and found the quality in the closing stages to decide it.
What England's lead could not survive
England had the first breakthrough and, for long spells, appeared to have done enough to control the game. But the margin was always slim, and Argentina's late pressure exposed that. The difference came down to moments rather than volume, and Argentina produced the sharper ones when it mattered most.
For Messi, the night mattered as much for the outcome as for the performance. His two assists were the decisive contribution in a match that kept Argentina and Lionel Messi's dream of retaining the World Cup alive. Now Argentina move on to face Spain in the final, with the tournament's last game set and the pressure only increasing.
