Kathmandu, July 16: Inspired by captain Lionel Messi, Argentina staged a remarkable comeback to defeat England 2-1 and book their place in the FIFA World Cup final.
Argentina secured the victory in the second semifinal, played in Atlanta on Thursday morning, earning a place in the World Cup final for the second consecutive tournament. The reigning champions, who lifted the trophy in Qatar four years ago, will now face Spain in Sunday’s final. Spain advanced after defeating France 2-0 in the first semifinal on Wednesday.
England, meanwhile, were eliminated in the semifinals once again, having also fallen at the same stage in 2018. The Three Lions have not won the World Cup since their lone triumph in 1966. They will now take on France in the third-place playoff on Saturday.
The semifinal was a fiercely contested physical battle, with both sides committing frequent fouls and disrupting each other’s rhythm rather than focusing on possession during the first half.
England broke the deadlock in the 55th minute through Anthony Gordon, who finished a pass from Morgan Rogers. However, their decision to sit back and defend the narrow lead ultimately proved costly.
Trailing by a goal, Argentina intensified their attack, frequently using aerial balls to put pressure on the English defense. Enzo Fernández equalized five minutes from full time with a superb strike from outside the penalty area after receiving a pass from Messi.
Substitute Lautaro Martínez completed the comeback in the second minute of stoppage time. Having entered the match in the 81st minute, Martínez headed home Messi’s cross to seal Argentina’s dramatic victory and send the defending champions into another World Cup final.
People’s News Monitoring Service.
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