Argentina will face Spain in the FIFA World Cup final after turning a one-goal deficit into a 2-1 semifinal victory over England. The defending champions were five minutes from elimination before Enzo Fernandez equalised and Lautaro Martinez completed the comeback in stoppage time.
England took the lead in the 55th minute through Anthony Gordon and then tried to protect its advantage against increasing Argentine pressure. The match changed in the 85th minute when Lionel Messi created the opening for Fernandez, bringing Argentina level and shifting the momentum at the decisive stage.
Messi supplied the winning goal as well. In the second minute of added time, his delivery found Martinez, whose header put Argentina ahead for the first time. Two assists in the closing minutes gave Argentina a route through a semifinal that had appeared to be slipping away.
The result places Argentina one victory from retaining the title it won in 2022. It also sends the team into a final against Spain, which defeated France 2-0 in the other semifinal. The match is scheduled for Sunday at East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The final presents a different tactical problem. Spain reached it with a controlled semifinal performance, while Argentina's path against England depended on patience and late precision under severe pressure. Ball retention, midfield control and the space available to Messi between Spain's lines are likely to shape the contest.
The timing of the comeback also matters for the final. Argentina showed it could keep attacking after a setback without losing its defensive shape, while its two decisive moves came through different finishers. Spain must therefore account for Messi as the creator as well as the forwards and midfield runners arriving around him.
England's defeat will be especially difficult because the team led deep into the match and was close to reaching the final. For Argentina, the comeback reinforces the resilience of an experienced side without erasing the warning from the first 84 minutes. Spain will have seen both: a team that can be contained and a forward line capable of deciding a match in two actions.
