For five minutes, England were heading to the World Cup final. Then Argentina's arch villains struck. Anthony Gordon had given the Three Lions a 55th-minute lead in Atlanta, converting Morgan Rogers' cross, and Thomas Tuchel's side looked set for a date with Spain in New Jersey. But as England retreated, they invited a storm they could not weather. Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez thundered home a long-range equaliser on 86 minutes, and deep into stoppage time, Lautaro Martinez headed the winner from Lionel Messi's cross. The defending champions had completed a savage turnaround.
Tuchel, who brought on defenders Dan Burn and others to protect the lead, faced immediate criticism. "Pure football cowardice," wrote Miguel Delaney, the Guardian's chief football writer, of the substitutions. The manager's game plan fell to pieces as England cracked under pressure. "It was crazy," one observer said. "They have Lionel Messi — the GOAT. If you give him time and space, you get punished." Harry Kane, who became England's most capped outfield player with 121 appearances, could not inspire a recovery.
“England lost 1-2 to Argentina after leading, with goals in the 86th minute and injury time.”
Now Argentina will meet Spain in Sunday's final at New York New Jersey Stadium, seeking back-to-back World Cup titles. The match will feature an extended half-time break of 20 to 25 minutes, including an 11-minute Super Bowl-style show co-headlined by Madonna, Shakira and K-pop boy band BTS. The laws of the game permit only a 15-minute interval, but Fifa organisers are expected to stretch it, as they did for last year's Club World Cup final when a Coldplay performance pushed the break to 24 minutes. Kick-off is at 15:00 local time (20:00 BST), with a closing ceremony from 13:30. For England, the inquest begins into how a golden opportunity slipped away — and whether this was a chance they may never get again.
