Argentina stage stunning comeback to beat England, reach World Cup final

Argentina's Enzo Fernandez lifts Lionel Messi onto his back in celebration after Messi assisted his goal in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup semifinal between Argentina and England on Thursday. [Reuters]

Lionel Messi has led Argentina to the World Cup final once again.

Argentina defeated England 2-1 in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup semifinal, a clash between the defending champions and the birthplace of the game. In the match held Thursday at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, Messi provided the assists for both Enzo Fernandez's equalizer in the 86th minute and Lautaro Martinez's winner in the 92nd minute of stoppage time.

The World Cup final will pit Argentina against Spain, known as the "Invincible Armada." Kickoff is set for 4 a.m. Monday at MetLife Stadium in New York.

Argentina, who won the 2022 Qatar tournament, have now reached back-to-back World Cup finals. A victory over Spain would give them a second consecutive title and their fourth overall.

Spain advanced to the final Wednesday after thrashing France 2-0 — France being the 2018 Russia World Cup champion and 2022 Qatar runner-up.

True to the fiery history between England and Argentina on the World Cup stage, players clashed hard from the opening whistle, with a combined 19 fouls called in the first half alone.

England's defensive attention was squarely on Messi. In the 37th minute, as Argentina broke forward, four England players converged on Messi in quick succession and brought him down as he attempted to dribble, triggering a confrontation between both sets of players that halted play for several minutes. Elliott Smith, who delivered the last and roughest tackle, was shown a yellow card.

The scoreless deadlock broke in the 55th minute when England took the lead. Morgan Rogers whipped in a sharp cross from the right, and Anthony Gordon finished it with a first-time right-footed shot at the near post.

Lionel Messi (left) of Argentina consoles England's Harry Kane on the pitch after Argentina's victory in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup semifinal at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday. [Reuters]

Argentina refused to relent, and in the 86th minute Enzo Fernandez leveled the score with a powerful long-range strike into the bottom-left corner. Messi drew the assist, feinting toward the right flank to open the shooting lane for Fernandez.

Messi was also the architect of Argentina's winner in the 92nd minute. When Alexis Mac Allister's long-range effort struck the right post and rebounded out, Messi collected the ball and crossed into the box for Lautaro Martinez to head home.

Martinez had come on as a substitute in the 81st minute and scored the decisive goal just 11 minutes after entering the pitch. In all four of their knockout-stage matches at this tournament, Argentina have won either in extra time or via a comeback.

Messi shares the tournament scoring lead with France's Kylian Mbappe at eight goals. He did not add to that tally Thursday, but his two assists were enough to carry Argentina to the final — and to show once more why he is called the god of football.

yjc@heraldcorp.com