England vs Argentina

Forty years after 'Hand of God', Lionel Messi faced England for the first time in his career — and once again, a match between these two nations produced heartbreak, controversy and extraordinary drama. Argentina came from behind to beat England 2-1 with two goals in the final seven minutes of regulation at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, advancing to the World Cup final against Spain in a result that confirmed the defending champions' remarkable resilience as the defining quality of this tournament. England were the better side for large stretches of the match. Anthony Gordon opened the scoring in the 55th minute, stroking home a Morgan Rogers cross after a slick counter-attack that exploited Argentine high line, with the offside flag crucially staying down. The Three Lions held the lead for 30 tension-filled minutes, with Djed Spence producing a crucial goalline tackle on Giuliano Simeone and Jordan Pickford making a fine save to preserve England's advantage as Argentina turned the screw relentlessly. The collapse came in the final minutes. Enzo Fernández — the same player who had headed England's winner in the quarter-final against Norway — received a Messi lay-off 25 yards from goal and bent a stunning finish into the far corner in the 85th minute to level. England barely had time to compose themselves. In the first minute of stoppage time, Messi — who had not scored but had been involved in everything — swept a cross to the back post where Lautaro Martínez rose above two defenders to head home and complete the comeback. Messi finished the match with two assists, taking his total for the tournament to five. Jude Bellingham, who had been England's outstanding player of the entire tournament, was substituted off just before Argentina's equaliser — a decision Thomas Tuchel will be questioned about for years. England's World Cup drought will extend to at least 60 years. Argentina now face Spain in the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19, attempting to become the first team to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 — with Messi as their Pelé.