ENGLAND WENT CRAZY FOR FINALS Argentina beat England 2-1 Argentina produced another stunning comeback as the defending champions broke English hearts to reach a second successive World Cup final.
Time appeared to be running out after Anthony Gordon’s opener left Argentina trailing deep into the second half. But the world champions once again dragged themselves back from the brink.
First, Enzo Fernandez let fly from 20 yards to beat Jordan Pickford. Lautaro Martinez then struck in stoppage time to complete another famous victory.
Argentina will face Spain in Sunday’s final as they seek to become only the third nation to retain the World Cup. Full-time analysis 📋 ➡️ Heart of a champion: Resilience. Perseverance. Mental fortitude. Argentina has all of it in spades. The reigning world champion is never out of any match, showing time and again the amazing power of recovery to turn what would be a defeat for any other side into a victory. Lionel Messi, who delivered assists on both of his team's late goals, was slowly growing into the game in the second half, and his pinpoint deliveries into the box finally undid England when he dropped a gorgeous (right-footed!) cross directly onto Lautaro Martinez's head for the winner in the 92nd minute.
Can Argentina summon this incredible determination one more time against Spain to win back-to-back World Cup titles? What a final we have on tap between the reigning European and South American champions.
➡️ Tuchel's disastrous subs: It was understandable when England boss Thomas Tuchel made defensive substitutions against Mexico earlier in the tournament while playing with 10 men, but the same type of tactic backfired Wednesday. Yes, Argentina was already pushing hard and flipped the field immediately after conceding the opening goal - before Tuchel began making his changes and moved to a defensive back-five - but his subs only exacerbated the issue, and they came far too early. Between Anthony Gordon's opening goal and Enzo Fernandez's equalizer, England averaged 12% of the ball, with Argentina enjoying 88% of the possession.
It felt inevitable that Argentina would score as England sat deeper and deeper inside its own half and ceded the play, and so it proved. Argentina attacked in waves, and England simply couldn't catch a breather or retain any type of possession to stop the onslaught. Inviting that type of pressure against Mexico - with all respect to El Tri - is one thing, but against Messi and the reigning world champion? Tuchel is going to come under massive scrutiny here for his tactical approach in the second half.
FT: Argentina 2, England 1 Trailing 1-0 with five minutes of normal time remaining in the World Cup semifinal? The Albiceleste had the Three Lions exactly where they wanted them. Lionel Messi - who else?
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