Lautaro Martinez’s late goal proved to be the winner as Argentina powered through to consecutive finals of the FIFA World Cup.

The fan chants of Argentina get louder and louder. It is never over till its over and a lone goal lead is never enough – Thomas Tuchel will have plenty to discuss — Gordon’d substitution, late sub on for Rashford, what went wrong? Only time will tell.

Thomas Tuchel makes two changes as Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney come on for Djed Spence and John Stones, respectively. England is trying to put everything in to find the late goal. 

Another clutch game, another assist by Messi and another comeback by Argentina. The personification of belief in Lionel Messi elevates Argentina as one of the potential finalists. For England, the dreams are almost done.

Lionel Messi sets up Lautaro Martinez with a cross from the right, and this time, the Inter Milan striker finds the net. Argentina is ahead! England’s dreams are on the verge of crushing.

Two knockouts, two clutch games, and Argentina winning both of them. The defending champion has refused to give up, and the late equaliser was another example that Argentina is not a team to throw in the towel that easily.

Thomas Tuchel’s decision to try and guard a slender lead has come back to bite him and his side as England is back on level terms, with just a few more minutes to go, with extra-time looming.

Lionel Messi set up Enzo Fernandez and the Chelsea midfielder pulls the trigger from a distance, which rattles the net. Argentina is back on level terms.

Messi tries a left-footed curler, this time from quite some distance, along the right flank. However, the shot goes off-target.

England makes two late changes with Declan Rice and Reece James going off for Nico O’Reilly and Dan Burn, respectively.

Argentina is all over England in the final third, but this time Harry Kane clears the ball and wins a foul. Meanwhile, Argentina brings off Tagliafico for Lautaro Martinez.

Lionel Messi floats in a long ball into the England box. Nico Gonzalez tries a header, which is goes just wide! The linesman raises the flag. A goal, if it happened, would have been chalked off.

Argentina is enjoying possession in England’s half, but is failing to penetrate into the box. Rodrigo de Paul sends in a cross, and Mac Allister gets a header, which is hits the woodwork!

Argentina makes three changes, bringing on Otamendi, De Paul and Montiel for Lisandro, Simeone and Molina. Meanwhile, England subs on Konsa for Anthony Gordon.

Lionel Messi delivers a cross from the right and Nico Gonzalez takes a header. The attempt is on target, but Pickford makes a stunning reflex save to deny a certain equaliser.

England comes close to scoring yet again as Declan Rice takes a shot from inside the box. There is not enough force in the shot as Emi Martinez makes a regulation save.

Nico Gonzalez sets up Tagliafico close to the England goal, but John Stones makes a timely interception to deny a certain goal.

Argentina is looking slightly out of options, with sideways passing and trying to get the ball to Messi. For England, the goal is clear: get the ball as far as possible from its box.

England has put up six white shirts in its box, looking to stop any possible attack. Tuchel had said before the match that his team had noticed some patterns in Messi’s attack. The homework looks to have worked well against Messi and Argentina.

Argentina atttacks on the counter, with Simeone carrying the ball into the Argentina box. England’s defence tracks back and Jade Spence makes a superb challenge to get the ball out of Simeone’s control.

Argentina’s defence is stretched and Morgan Rogers drives in a low cross from the right and Anthony Gordon finds the net with a gorgeous shot to put the Three Lions ahead.

Simeone pushes the ball to Molina along the right, who crosses to the centre of the England box. The Three Lions, however, clears the ball out of danger.

Argentina was almost caught cold at the back as Romero is chased by Gordon and Bellingham. The Spurs player somehow clears the ball but then catches Bellingham from behind to get into the book. 

Alvarez fights off two markers and shoots, forcing a save by Pickford and the Argentine again takes a shot, which goes off a deflection off England. The corner is cleared by Stones and then Messi tries to make a run but is tightly marked by Bellingham. 

The second-half begins with the kick off retaken and Enzo tries an early run, but he is surrounded as the Argentina attack fizzles out.

England gets the ball rolling after the break as both sides begin their quest for an opener. The contest has been a cagey affair so far. How will the next 45 minutes go? Let’s wait and watch.

The first 45 minutes have flown by as both sides have played neck-to-neck in this semifinal clash. Reece James’ cross, saved by Emi Martinez, remains the only major chance of this match so far. 

Morgan Rogers makes a run into the centre, waiting for a through pass. It arrives, but Rogers is ruled off-side. England has played much higher on the pitch than Argentina after the hydration break.

England has employed an overload along the left. As Argentina try to win the ball back, the Three Lions switch to the right, with Reece James pressed high.

This match has been an end-to-end affair and yet both teams have been brilliant in the box. No shots on target by either side so far.

Bellingham and Romero get into a duel of their own as the former tries to make a run along the left flank, but Romero stops him in his tracks, getting the ball first.

Morgan Rogers tries to go for a counterattack from the midfield, with Gordon making a run along the left. Lisandro pulls Rogers back and the referee books the Manchester United centre-back.

Enzo takes a shot from distance, which goes out of play. Enzo claims there was a deflection, and hence, there should be a corner, but the referee gives a goal kick to England instead.

Lionel Messi tries to go for a counterattack, but is surrounded by three England players. Anderson has the harshest challenge and becomes the first player to be booked tonight!

Bellingham tries to get the ball into the box and Molina’s boot from the back sees the Real Madrid player go down. Reece James takes the free-kick, which is cleared by Lisandro Martinez.

Declan Rice takes the free-kick, which is headed just off-target by Stones. What a chance that was for England!

Bellingham goes for a good run along the left channel into the final third of Argentina. He is brought down by Romero and the referee gives a free-kick to England.

Anderson rushes to keep the ball to his feet, but Argentina wins the ball back and passes it to Martinez as the defending champions look to start from scratch.

Lionel Messi wins the ball in the box and threads in a pass for Alvarez, but the shot is just too far away from the Atletico forward. Goal kick to England. 

Both coaches look to have completed their chat for the remaining part of the second half. The match resumes with a goal kick by Pickford. 

Messi takes the corner, which Spence gets a head on. He tries to clear, but the referee had already stopped play for a foul by Simeone. The match then stops for the first hydration break.

Mac Allister and Bellingham get into a duel for the ball and the latter concedes a free-kick. Jade Spence clears the ball out for a corner kick to Argentina.

England has gone back into a heavy low block as Argentina tries to breach the white wall. The ball goes out for an Argentina throw-in.

Argentina now goes for an attack, with two forwards in the England box. However, Julian Alvarez is ruled off-side.

Reece James throws the ball in, Spence eventually gets the ball, passes to Bellingham. England is enjoying possession at the moment, with Rogers. Reece, meanwhile, makes a run on the overlap and takes a shot, which is blocked by Emi Martinez.

Bellingham drops slightly deep and he conjures an attack with England playing from the back. Spence gets the ball, runs into the box, but Enzo does his defensive duties to ensure the ball goes out of play for an Argentina goal kick.

Enzo and Paredes combine and pass to Messi, but Anderson makes a block and Guehi eventually tries to clear. He passes to Gordon, who loses the ball.

England wins the ball in its half and goes for a quick counterattack, with Gordon carrying the ball into the final third. He tries to combine with Spence, but Argentina makes a timely interception.

Simeone gets the ball along the right off Lionel Messi, but the former is ruled off-side. This attack of Argentina ends to nothing.

Lisandro passes to Romero, which is won back by England. Argentina tries to get the ball back, with Paredes contesting for the ball in front of Anderson. The referee blows for a foul, but the match eventually resumes with a drop ball.

The game has sparked into end-to-end action from kick-off itself and neither team, understandably, is ready to give the ball away.

Argentina tries to go another quick attack, which is stopped by Anderson and England takes the free-kick quickly.

Morgan Rogers gets the ball along the right, whips in a cross, which is forced out by Argentina for a corner. Argentina clears the corner and as England tries to stop the counterattack, it gives away a free-kick.

Simeone and Anderson gets into a duel for the ball and the former fouls the England midfielder. The free-kick is taken quickly by England.

Bellingham indicates that his teammates are being pushed with the shoulder and play continues as Jade Spence gets the ball from Guehi and makes a run in the final third of Argentina. Argentina, eventually, gets the ball back.

From the shape of it, England looks to be playing in a 4-2-3-1 shape, while Argentina is playing in a 4-4-2 formation. Meanwhile, Anderson goes down after a knock by Enzo Fernandez. The referee has a chat with Enzo, and Messi looks visibly upset.

Paredes knocks Bellingham in the midfield. The referee gives a free-kick, but keeps the cards in his pocket.

England wins the ball back and looks to plot an attack through Argentina’s defence at the moment. For now, they are enjoynig early possession.

Lionel Messi gets the ball rolling in Atlanta after both coaches shake hands. Argentina is playing in its away kit, while England is sporting its white kit.

The national anthems of both teams are done. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder as the pre-match formalities are done. The players are ready, so are the fans.

The players are ready in the tunnel and walk out to a raucous welcome at the Atlanta Stadium. The stadium is packed, the flags unfurled, and we are almost there for a cracker.

Argentina will naturally look at Lionel Messi as an outlet for its attack, with Julian Alvarez playing as a conventional striker. The challenge from the other side will be posed by England’s defenders Guehi and John Stones, who had kept Haaland in check in the previous clash. 

Argentina and Lionel Messi take the field for the last-minute warm-ups. The fans applaud, the players acknowledge as the defending champion gets ready for the semifinal.

England topped its group in the first round, with wins against Croatia and Panama, while Argentina has come in following an immense exhibition of grit. It has been forced into extra time by Cape Verde and Switzerland, and on both occassions, Lionel Messi and co. have reigned supreme.

Argentina fans are leaving little to chance ahead of the World Cup semifinal against England, placing captain Harry Kane’s name in the freezer and faithfully repeating the rituals they believe bring the national team luck on the pitch.

The ‌practices are part of Argentina’s long tradition of ‘cabalas’ — superstitions fans believe can influence the team’s fortunes.

As defending champion Argentina prepares to face England ⁠for a place in the final, supporters are clinging to routines they say helped deliver past victories.

Many refuse to say opponents’ names, wear the same often-unwashed jerseys, sit in the same seats and ‌eat the same meals before each match, convinced that changing anything could jinx the team’s chances of lifting another trophy.

“My friends and I have a ‌ritual,” said 13-year-old Ines Mutri. “We write the name of the star player and ‌goalkeeper ⁠on the same piece of paper and freeze it in the freezer,” ⁠she said.

England vs Argentina has presented some of the biggest-ever controversies in World Cup football, especially Diego Maradona’s Hand of God. 

Revisit some of the biggest controversies before the 2026 semifinal:

England vs Argentina: The World Cup match that gave football the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century

The 1986 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal between Argentina and England delivered two of football’s most iconic moments. Diego Maradona first scored the controversial ‘Hand of God’ goal before producing the breathtaking ‘Goal of the Century’ minutes later. Argentina’s 2-1 victory became one of the defining matches in World Cup history, forever entwining controversy and brilliance in the legacy of one player.

England enjoys substantial advantage over Argentina in their senior men’s team clashes so far. The two last met 24 years ago. 

Played: 5

England: 3

Argentina: 1

Draw: 1

Jordan Pickford (GK) — Reece James, Marc Guehi, John Stones, Djed Spence — Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers — Harry Kane, Anthony Gordon.

Emiliano Martínez; Nahuel Molina, Sergio Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolas Tagliafico; Leandro Paredes, Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández; Giuliano Simeone, Lionel Messi and Julián Alvarez. 

England (4-2-3-1): Jordan Pickford (GK) — Reece James, Marc Guehi, John Stones, Nico O’Reilly — Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson — Anthony Gordon, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka — Harry Kane.

Argentina (4-4-2): Emi Martinez (GK) — Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico — Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis MacAllister, Enzo Fernandez — Julian Alvarez, Lionel Messi.

One spoke of Diego Maradona. The other spoke of Lionel Messi.

Lionel Scaloni and Thomas Tuchel spent Tuesday trying to explain how football’s most emotionally charged rivalry should be approached with reverence for history but not as prisoners of it.

As Argentina and England prepare to meet in Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, neither coach was interested in borrowing motivation from wars, politics or old grievances. Instead, both framed the occasion as a football problem to solve, even if the presence of Messi threatens to make every tactical plan feel incomplete.

Click the link below to read the full preview:

Scaloni, Tuchel keep history aside as Argentina, England brace for World Cup semifinal

Scaloni and Tuchel focus on football strategy as Argentina and England prepare for a historic World Cup semifinal clash.