Overview
- Argentina beat England 2-1 on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, with an 85th-minute equaliser from Enzo Fernández and a stoppage‑time header from Lautaro Martínez to secure passage to the final at MetLife Stadium.
- Lionel Messi supplied the decisive creativity, setting up Fernández’s long-range strike and crossing for Martínez’s winner, extending his tournament influence as Argentina’s focal playmaker.
- The semi-final was intensely physical, featured numerous fouls and bookings, and put referee Ismael Elfath and VAR decisions under fresh scrutiny after on-pitch tempers flared.
- England had taken the lead through Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute goal from a Morgan Rogers cross, and post-match coverage praised Djed Spence’s surprise start even as questions lingered over selection and game management.
- The result keeps Argentina’s bid to retain the World Cup alive — a feat not achieved since 1962 — sends England to a third-place match with France, and frames Sunday’s final as a Messi-era finale against European champions Spain.