Rabat – Argentina have reached their second consecutive World Cup final after completing a dramatic late comeback to defeat England 2-1 in Wednesday’s semifinal at Atlanta Stadium.
England appeared close to securing their first World Cup final appearance since 1966 after Anthony Gordon opened the scoring in the 55th minute.
Morgan Rogers delivered a low cross across the face of goal, allowing Gordon to finish past Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and put the Three Lions ahead.
Argentina increased the pressure after falling behind and controlled most of the possession as England attempted to protect their narrow advantage.
Lionel Scaloni introduced Lautaro Martinez in the 81st minute as Argentina pushed more players forward in search of an equalizer.
Four minutes later, Lionel Messi collected the ball following a quick corner and found Enzo Fernandez, who struck a powerful effort beyond Jordan Pickford to make it 1-1.
Argentina completed the comeback in the second minute of stoppage time.
Messi delivered the decisive pass for Lautaro Martinez, who headed the ball into the net from close range to send the defending champions into Sunday’s final against Spain.
England’s defensive changes backfired
England head coach Thomas Tuchel had attempted to protect the lead by introducing defensive reinforcements during the closing stages.
However, the changes allowed Argentina to take greater control and apply sustained pressure around England’s penalty area.
Argentina finished with 67% possession and five shots on target, compared with England’s two. They also recorded an expected-goals total of 1.80, while England finished with 0.54.
The result ended England’s hopes of reaching only the second World Cup final in their history.
Another chapter in historic rivalry
The semifinal renewed one of international football’s most famous rivalries.
Argentina also defeated England 2-1 in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal, when Diego Maradona scored both the controversial “Hand of God” goal and one of the tournament’s most celebrated individual goals.
Argentina later eliminated England on penalties in 1998, while England won their most recent World Cup meeting 1-0 in 2002.
Argentina will now face Spain in Sunday’s final after La Roja defeated France 2-0 in the other semifinal. England will meet France in the third-place playoff.
