Argentina defeated England in the World Cup semi-final, with the match ending 2-1. With this victory, Argentina has reached the final for the second consecutive time. They will have the opportunity to defend their 2022 title next Sunday.
From the start of the match, both teams played physical football. In the second minute, Leandro Paredes fouled Jude Bellingham. From then on, both teams tried to put pressure on each other. Neither team created significant scoring opportunities in the first quarter.
Emiliano Martinez made the first save in the 19th minute. He couldn’t properly gather a cross from Morgan Rogers in the box but averted danger. In the 35th minute, Elliot Anderson received the first yellow card for fouling Messi. Shortly after, Lisandro Martinez was also booked for tugging the jersey of Djed Spence to stop him.
The first half ended goalless. However, both teams were level in terms of cards received. This was the first time in this World Cup that Argentina failed to score in the first half, having scored in the first half of every previous match except against Egypt.
The nature of the game changed in the second half. England took the lead in the 55th minute with Anthony Gordon scoring from a cross by Morgan Rogers. Cristian Romero then also received a yellow card for fouling Bellingham, putting both center-backs at risk of a red card.
As the game approached its end, Argentina launched relentless attacks. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford saved a header from Nico Gonzalez off a Messi cross. A minute later, he thwarted another header. However, he couldn’t stop the shot in the 86th minute. That’s where the 7 minutes of madness began. Enzo Fernandez equalized from a short corner, having attempted to score at least three times before.
Ultimately, the match’s fate was decided in added time. The referee had awarded 9 minutes of extra time. In the second minute of added time, Lautaro Martinez headed in a brilliant cross from Messi, finding the back of England’s net. This goal put Argentina ahead 2-1. No further goals were scored. As the final whistle blew, Argentina’s progression to the final was confirmed.