World Cup 2026: Messi inspires Argentina’s comeback win over England to book final clash with Spain

Argentina have booked their place in the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over England in the semi-finals, with Lionel Messi once again proving decisive on football’s biggest stage.

The South Americans were forced to fight back after falling behind, but late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez completed a memorable turnaround and set up a blockbuster final meeting with Spain.

England strike first in tense semi-final battle

The highly anticipated encounter produced a closely contested opening, with both teams struggling to find clear openings in the final third.

Argentina threatened first in the 39th minute when Enzo Fernandez unleashed a stunning effort from distance, but his powerful strike narrowly missed the target and sailed over the crossbar.

After the interval, Julian Alvarez came close to breaking the deadlock for Argentina when he reacted quickly to a loose ball inside the box in the 47th minute. However, England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was alert and made a comfortable save to keep the score level.

England eventually found the breakthrough in the 55th minute. Morgan Rogers delivered a perfectly weighted lofted cross into the penalty area, allowing Anthony Gordon to latch onto the delivery and fire a quick finish into the bottom-left corner to give England a 1-0 advantage.

Messi leads Argentina’s late fightback

England looked set to hold onto their lead, but Argentina continued to apply pressure as they searched for a way back into the contest.

Jordan Pickford produced another excellent stop in the 69th minute, denying Nicolas Gonzalez’s low header after a dangerous cross from the flank.

The breakthrough for Argentina finally arrived in the 85th minute, and Messi was at the heart of the equaliser. The captain picked out Enzo Fernandez on the edge of the penalty area, with the midfielder producing a brilliant finish into the left side of the net to make it 1-1.

With the game heading towards extra time, Argentina completed the comeback in stoppage time. In the 90+2nd minute, Messi delivered another moment of quality as his superb cross found Lautaro Martinez, who calmly headed into an empty net to secure a 2-1 victory.

Argentina and Spain set for World Cup final showdown

The result sends Argentina into the World Cup final, where they will face Spain in what promises to be a thrilling battle between two of the tournament’s strongest teams.

England will now turn their attention to the third-place play-off, where they will face France after both nations fell short in the semi-finals.