Lionel Messi magic breaks England hearts to reach – Sports News
Lionel Messi and Argentina are within the World Cup remaining (Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
For the fourth straight knockout spherical match, Argentina trusted a objective scored in both stoppage time or further time to clinch a dramatic late victory.
The contentious match started with England holding the benefit earlier than momentum shifted towards Argentina within the second half.
Lionel Messi performed a essential position as soon as more, delivering a cross to Lautauro Martinez on the far post for a close-range header past English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, giving Argentina a 2-1 benefit within the second minute of World Cup stoppage time.
Pickford confronted minimal stress within the opening half: Argentina managed simply two makes an attempt earlier than halftime, however recorded 13 afterward, particularly after Anthony Gordon’s strike put England forward 1-0 within the fifty fifth minute.
It was Messi’s fast cross to Enzo Fernandez within the 86th minute – England had three defenders marking the diminutive winger – that set up a highly effective strike from the Chelsea midfielder for the equalizing objective.
Matchwinner Lautaro Martinez celebrates with Messi after scoring Argentina’s second objective (Image: Getty Images)
Messi and Argentina will now purpose to develop into the primary nation to seize 4 consecutive main worldwide titles, a run that started with a 2021 Copa America triumph and continued with back-to-back 2022 World Cup and 2024 Copa America championships, stories the Mirror US.
The diminutive 5’6″ Messi was barely visible in the first half and stayed largely stationary on the right flank in the second: the 39-year-old walks more than any other player on the field.
Nevertheless, Messi will head into the World Cup final with eight tournament goals and four assists.
England has not claimed a major tournament title since their historic 1966 World Cup victory on home turf.
Jude Bellingham sulks after England’s loss (Image: Getty Images)
Following an extended stretch of underwhelming performances, the national side has endured a string of gut-wrenching defeats in recent competitions.
The Three Lions were eliminated from the 2018 World Cup in extra time against Croatia in the semifinals. In 2021, England fell to Italy in a penalty shootout in the Euro finals on home soil.
At the 2022 World Cup, they were knocked out by France in the quarterfinals following a missed Harry Kane penalty.
Then in the 2024 Euro finals, a late strike from Spanish forward Mikel Oyarzabal shattered England’s hopes in Germany.
England’s players were visibly devastated on the pitch after the final whistle, none more so than Gordon and emerging 2026 World Cup star Jude Bellingham, who cemented his status as one of the most celebrated players in the world throughout the tournament.
Tuchel, navigating his first major tournament as an international head coach, drew sharp criticism during the FOX broadcast from pundits Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for adopting an overly defensive approach in the second half.
He launched defender Ezri Konsa within the 72nd minute, adopted by each Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly within the 82nd. England subsequently deserted their attacking intent totally, retaining possession for simply 26% of the second half.
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