ATLANTA (Kashmir English): England suffered another painful knockout-stage defeat to their historical rivals, Argentina, leaving them still chasing their first FIFA World Cup trophy since 1966.
Argentina defeated England 2-1 in a dramatic 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Defending champions Argentina advanced to the final against Spain after pulling off a stunning late-match comeback driven by captain Lionel Messi.
The highly physical first half ended scoreless. Both teams combined for 19 fouls and zero shots on target, recording the lowest expected goals in a World Cup knockout first half since 1966.
However, in the 55th minute, England broke the deadlock when Morgan Rogers delivered a perfect cross to Anthony Gordon, who slotted it home into the center of the box.
In the 85th minute, it was England 1, Argentina 1. Following a short corner sequence, Lionel Messi picked out Enzo Fernández at the edge of the box.
Fernández fired a spectacular right-footed long-range rocket past goalkeeper Jordan Pickford into the top left corner.
In the 92nd minute (Stoppage Time), Argentina scored the match-winning goal when Messi floated a precise cross to the back post and substitute Lautaro Martínez broke free from the England defence to header from five yards out.
2026 FIFA World Cup final
With this win, Argentina reached consecutive World Cup finals and will face Spain on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in New York.
