Lionel Messi delivered a masterclass from the right wing to shatter England’s World Cup dreams as Argentina stormed into their second consecutive final with a 2-1 victory in Atlanta.
England had taken the lead through Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute, but Thomas Tuchel’s decision to drop into a back five backfired spectacularly. Argentina had 88% possession for the following 37 minutes, and Messi, drifting out to the flank, took control.
“Lionel Messi assisted two goals as Argentina came from behind to beat England 2-1 and reach the World Cup final.”
He completed nine dribbles and assisted both goals – the first player on record (from 1966 onwards) to do so in a single World Cup knockout game. The entire England team combined managed seven successful dribbles.
The equaliser came from a short corner routine when Messi found Enzo Fernandez, who slammed in an 85th-minute equaliser from outside the box. Then, with the clock ticking into injury time, Messi delivered a perfect right-footed cross for Lautaro Martinez to head the winner.
“He’s the best player in history, I don’t know what else he would have to do to prove that,” said Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni. BBC pundit Micah Richards added: “They have Lionel Messi. They have the ‘GOAT’. … This is why he is the king.”
Messi, 39, who now has eight goals and four assists at the 2026 World Cup, said his team silenced the critics. “If we had lost today, people would have come out and said some nonsense, and we didn’t give them the chance,” he said. “We knew that we were better than them in terms of football … we had to win.”
Argentina will face Spain in Sunday’s final in New Jersey. Victory would make Messi the first captain to retain the World Cup and see him become only the second player after Cafu to play in three World Cup finals. He also tops the golden boot race ahead of Kylian Mbappe, and could clinch the award before kick-off.