Messi inspires Argentina's dramatic comeback against England to reach World Cup final

No “Hand of God” this time. Argentina didn’t need it.

Instead, it was the hallowed feet of Lionel Messi and the unbreakable spirit of a team that has repeatedly fought back at this year's World Cup that is now one step away from back-to-back titles.

Trailing 1-0 going into the 85th minute, Argentina rallied for a 2-1 victory over England on Wednesday, with goals from Enzo Fernández and substitute Lautaro Martínez.

“I dreamed it, I swear. I told Alexis (Mac Allister) that I was going to score. I told him that I was going to come on and I was going to win it," Martínez said. "I can tell you this team keeps showing what it’s made of.”

At the final whistle, Messi fell to his knees in celebration, while England players collapsed in disbelief - again.

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Add 2026 to 1986 and 1998 on the list of games when Argentina has extinguished England's hopes at the World Cup.

“I’m gutted for the team, the staff, the fans," England captain Harry Kane said. “We worked so hard to be here. The lads have given every bit of blood, sweat and tears. To fall short like we did is just gutting.”

The defending champions will take on European champions Spain in the final on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The best that South America has to offer against the best of Europe.

The defeat for England will hurt a new generation of fans in a similar way to Diego Maradona’s infamous handball goal in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals and the penalty shoot-out defeat in 1998 when David Beckham was sent off for kicking Diego Simeone.

The difference is there can be no sense of injustice this time, even if England had victory in its sights after Anthony Gordon scored the opening goal in the 55th minute.

The English were hanging on as the game wore on. England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made vital saves, while Mac Allister sent a header against the post as wave after wave of Argentina attacks came.

Messi had largely been kept quiet. But when he’s on the pitch, anything seems possible.

He fed the ball to Fernández to sweep in the equaliser from outside the box in the 85th minute. Then, two minutes into stoppage time, Messi sent in a cross for Martínez to head in the winner.

It almost felt inevitable, especially given the number of times Argentina has simply refused to give in at this year's World Cup. From Cape Verde to Egypt, Messi and Co. always seem to find a way.

“It is a show of the collectiveness, the brotherhood that we are in, the fight to the very end that we’ve got,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “We were ready to go home, sad, knowing that we had left everything on the pitch, but after they scored we really proved ourselves.”

England, in contrast, came up short in the World Cup semi-finals for the third time after defeats to Germany in 1990 and Croatia in 2018. And it's another occasion in recent years when England’s players have squandered a winning position in the latter stages of a major tournament.

They led 1-0 against Croatia in the semi-finals eight years ago and lost 2-1. They were 1-0 up against Italy in the European Championship final in 2021 and lost on penalties.

On Wednesday, England coach Thomas Tuchel's substitutions seemed to be more intent on holding on rather than killing the game off with another goal.

“Argentina played with more risk, played with more rhythm, played with the feeling maybe that they have nothing to lose any more, which freed them up and held us back because we suddenly played with a feeling that we had a lot to lose,” Tuchel said.

Argentina is now one step away from history. Messi, now 39 and likely playing at his last World Cup, is one win away from further strengthening his case to be considered the greatest footballer of all time.

“We’re going to try to win, we’re going to leave everything out there,” Scaloni said. “It’s very difficult to get people to understand what these players are showing. It’s incredible. We are unique, truly, and it’s not arrogance, it’s from the heart. We are unique.”