Argentina catch up with Spain in World Cup final after beating England
Argentina continued their heroic campaign to defend their world title after turning a 2-1 deficit against England into a thrilling 2-1 victory in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup, to book their place in the final and set up a fiery date with Spain in an upcoming clash for the title.
The match witnessed one of the most exciting matches of the tournament, after the legend Lionel Messi led the "La Albiceleste" team to a fatal comeback, reaching the World Cup final for the third time in his career, and coming close to leading Argentina to a second consecutive world title, a feat that has been missed in the tournament since Brazil was crowned two consecutive titles more than six decades ago.
England, on the other hand, lived through a painful scenario, after they were minutes away from reaching the final for the second time in their history, and the first since 1966, before collapsing in the final minutes in front of Argentina's determination. Between the joy of "tango" and the heartbreak of the "Three Lions", eight main factors emerged that shaped the features of this football summit, we review at the beginning four reasons that led Argentina to the final, before touching on four other reasons that toppled England's hopes
Scaloni's confidence in De Paul has plummeted
Coach Lionel Scaloni made a remarkable change to his starting line-up, after he decided to push Giuliano Simeone and keep Rodrigo de Paul on the bench, and the decision came after De Paul's level declined during the tournament, as he only provided an assist in the opening match against Lionel Messi, while Argentina's midfield in general suffered from imposing control of matches, unlike what he did in the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Although Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister bear part of the responsibility, De Paul looked far from his usual form, whether in possession, pressure or connecting between the lines, and the tournament revived the controversy over his move to Inter Miami alongside Messi, as many saw his departure from Atletico Madrid at the age of 31 as premature, which reflected in his readiness for high-tempo matches.
Scaloni opted to rely on Simeone to add speed and depth on the counter-attacks, realising that controlling the midfield would not be easy for England, and despite sitting in reserves, De Paul came into the second half and performed much better than he has in recent matches.
Transfer to Copa Libertadores
The match carried a charged atmosphere from the beginning, after the historical enmity between the two teams overshadowed all the details of the match, so much so that the fans of both teams booed while the two national anthems were played, and Argentina relied on a strong physical style to stop the game and break the rhythm of the English team, in a scene that recalled the Copa Libertadores matches, known for their strength and constant friction.
During the first half, Argentina's players committed 12 fouls to England's seven, while the first half witnessed only 3 shots, without any attempt between the posts and the crossbar, and Leandro Paredes stood out in this role, after he succeeded in limiting the danger of Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, through constant pressure and strong interventions, to give his country a physical advantage that helped him gradually impose his style.
Knowing the Weakness
Although Argentina retain most of the elements of the generation that won the World Cup in Qatar, the right-back position is still a clear concern, and to the coach's knowledge of his team's problems, Scaloni rotated throughout the tournament between Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel, to try to solve the problem, but neither of them succeeded in definitively resolving the position, but they were a temporary remedy that paid off.
Against England, Molina started first, but made the mistake that gave the opponent the lead in the 55th minute, after losing control of Anthony Gordon, who took advantage of Morgan Rogers' cross and found the ball in the net, and although Argentina succeeded in coming back, this mistake once again exposed the fragility of the right front, which Spain may try to exploit in the final.
Messi's positive intervention
England's goal was the real turning point in the match, after coach Thomas Tuchel decided to retreat to the defense to maintain the lead, which gave Argentina full control of the course of the game, and Lionel Messi led the Argentine attack brilliantly, and started creating chances one after the other, until he passed the ball to Enzo Fernandez, who fired a powerful shot with which he realized the equalizer in the 85th minute.
Messi was not satisfied with that, as in the second minute of stoppage time, he got rid of two defenders on the right flank, before sending a neat cross that Lautaro Martinez headed into the net, giving Argentina the winning goal and qualifying for the final.
With this performance, Messi scored two assists, created four chances and completed nine successful dribbles, reaffirming that he is still the most influential player in Argentina's ranks despite being 39 years old.
The captain of La Albiceleste will play in the World Cup final for the third time in his career, in an upcoming clash against Spain, as he seeks to lead his country to retain the world title and write a new chapter in his legendary career.
The Fall of the Three Lions
On the other hand, despite the fact that the England team is close to reaching the final of the 2026 World Cup, a series of technical decisions and the decline in the performance of some of its stars, along with the Argentine uprising led by Lionel Messi, turned the tide in the final minutes.
The English team looked at its best for nearly 70 minutes, after succeeding in paralyzing Argentina's danger, with real chances to exploit the spaces and score a second goal to decide the match.
But Tuchel opted for an overly defensive approach, replacing goalkeeper Anthony Gordon with centre-back Ezri Konsa, turning the team into five defenders and fully positioned inside their own half with more than 20 minutes to go.
Although this method has been successful in previous matches, it has not held up against the defending champions. Argentina had full possession of the ball, while England were content to defend and wait for the final whistle, giving Lionel Messi and his teammates enough space to press until two goals in a row, and the participation of Nicolas O'Reilly and Dan Byrne only added to the confusion within the backline, before England found themselves forced to attack too late.
Absence of Bellingham Effect
England entered the semi-finals with one of the strongest attacking lines in the tournament, scoring 13 goals, 12 of which came through Harry Kane and Jod Bellingham, and although Kane was the main player in building Gordon's goal, Bellingham completely disappeared in front of Argentina's physical strength.
The Real Madrid player was subjected to close control and strong interventions every time he received the ball, which greatly limited his ability to make plays or penetrate deep, and England's reliance on playing through the flanks kept him away from the danger areas he was good at moving to, and with Bellingham's influence waning and Kane's lack of touching the ball, the English team needed additional attacking solutions, but those solutions did not arrive.
Offensive Options
Tuchel surprised everyone by bringing in Morgan Rodgers on the right wing, preferring him over Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke, although the latter took turns throughout the tournament, and Rodgers did not play well in the first half, but made up for it by creating the goal when he sent a neat cross to Gordon in the 55th minute.
Despite his success in that shot, his attacking impact remained limited after that, finishing the game with just one shot blocked and 25 touches of the ball, while Saka and Madueke remained on the bench throughout the game, and Marcus Rashford only came on in the 96th minute, a decision that will remain widely criticized.
Highlights
Despite the painful exit, Djide Spence played one of his best international games, and the Tottenham player participated in the left-back position, and managed to deal with the danger of Lionel Messi and Giuliano Simeone, relying on his great speed to spoil many of the Argentine attacks.
His most prominent shots came in the 57th minute, when he came back with amazing speed to save the England goal with a wonderful intervention inside the box after he was out of his defensive position, and Spence contributed offensively, forming an active duo with Gordon on the left flank, and sending several dangerous crosses, but the absence of attackers in the receiving areas deprived England of benefiting from them.
Although Messi managed to create the winning goal after Spence suffered an injury moments before the decisive shot, this does not diminish the strong performance that the player gave throughout the match, and in the end, England paid the price for their defensive decline and technical decisions in the final minutes, while Argentina used Messi's experience and fighting spirit to snatch a ticket to the final and set up a date with Spain in an upcoming clash for the 2026 World Cup title.