Martinez Stoppage-Time Header Sinks England 2-1

Two goals in the final five minutes snatched a first World Cup final appearance in 60 years away from England and carried holders Argentina into a Sunday meeting with Spain, after substitute Lautaro Martinez nodded home in the second minute of stoppage time to seal a 2-1 comeback at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday night.

For a team that has turned survival into an art form throughout this tournament, it was another escape from the edge. England, roared on by a share of the 68,239 crowd, had looked set to end their long wait for a return to the final when Anthony Gordon put them ahead in the 55th minute. Morgan Rogers, with Harry Kane involved in the build up, delivered a low cross from the right and Gordon stole in front of Nahuel Molina to finish. From that moment, Thomas Tuchel’s side retreated, and Argentina made them pay.

Enzo Fernandez levelled matters in the 85th minute, controlling a Lionel Messi pass on the edge of the box before firing beyond Jordan Pickford from around 20 yards. With extra time looming, Messi struck again as a provider, floating an inch perfect cross to the far post for Martinez to head past the England goalkeeper and send the Argentine sections of the stadium into delirium. The 39 year old captain finished the night with an assist for each goal.

The numbers underlined Argentina’s second half dominance. They held 64 percent of possession to England’s 36, mustered 14 shots to six, forced six efforts on target against three, and won six corners to England’s solitary one. Pickford kept his side ahead for long stretches, producing a superb stop from a Nico Gonzalez header in the 69th minute and denying Alexis Mac Allister soon after, moments after the Liverpool midfielder had rattled the post. Mac Allister struck the woodwork again before the decisive breakthrough arrived.

“I think that this team plays the best when we are facing a difficult situation, with adversity,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said afterwards. “We had a challenging game, a challenging situation. There was blood in the water, and we went for it.”

Messi, appearing against England for the first time in his career, was defiant. “We are coming from being the best during these last four years, like it or not, and say what they want,” he said. “Once again we proved it’s no fluke and nobody handed us anything. Reaching two consecutive World Cup finals is not for everyone and this group did it.”

For England, the regret was sharp. “We were so close, but we got too passive after we scored and conceded a lot of chances,” Tuchel told the BBC. “We could not turn the ball possession around and then conceded so many crosses, chances and shots.”

The result stretched a run of drama that has defined Argentina’s campaign in this first 48 team World Cup. After topping their group with wins over Algeria, Austria and Jordan, La Albiceleste needed extra time to edge Cape Verde 3-2 in the round of 32, recovered from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2 in the last 16 on the same Atlanta pitch, and saw off a 10 man Switzerland 3-1 in the quarter final. The late winners against Egypt and now England made them the first team to score more than one stoppage time winning goal in a single World Cup.

The occasion also carried the weight of one of football’s fiercest rivalries. This was the sixth World Cup meeting between the two nations, a fixture forever coloured by Diego Maradona’s Hand of God and his second, sublime goal in the 1986 quarter final, and by Argentina’s penalty shootout victory in 1998. Argentina even swapped their famous sky blue and white stripes for a navy kit on Wednesday, the same colour worn in both of those celebrated wins.

History now beckons on several fronts. No side has retained the trophy since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, and Argentina, three time winners in 1978, 1986 and 2022, are chasing that rare feat. Messi, meanwhile, becomes only the second player after Brazil’s Cafu to appear in three World Cup finals, having lost in 2014 and triumphed in 2022. His 10 assists in the knockout stages are the most by any player in at least six decades, and he tops the tournament’s scoring charts on assists, level with Kylian Mbappe on eight goals.

England, whose sole World Cup triumph came on home soil in 1966, must instead regroup for a third place play off against France in Miami on Saturday. Kane, who this tournament passed Gary Lineker to become his country’s all time leading World Cup scorer with 14 goals, and the 23 year old Jude Bellingham, will look to the future after another near miss.

Attention now turns to the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where Spain await on Sunday. The European champions, seeking a second world title after their 2010 win, dispatched France 2-0 in the other semi final. On current form the bookmakers make Spain marginal favourites, but Argentina have spent this tournament proving that the odds mean little once the whistle blows.