How Lionel Messi’s Argentina punished England’s retreat and turned the World Cup semi-final on its head in 10 minutes

Argentina’s Lionel Messi (10) controls the ball as England’s Nico O’Reilly (3) and Djed Spence (25) defend during the World Cup semifinal match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. England looked set to reach the finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute goal gave Thomas Tuchel’s side the lead and as the clock ticked down, England did what they did earlier in the tournament against Norway and Mexico to protect their advantage.But against Lionel Messi and Argentina, that plan only lasted so long.Messi bagged two assists in the closing minutes as Argentina beat England 2-1 (local time) on Wednesday to book their place in Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain. Enzo Fernandez equalized in the 85th minute before Lautaro Martinez headed home Messi’s cross in the second minute of stoppage time to complete another Argentine turnaround. It was another example of Argentina finding a way late in games. They have now scored 11 goals after the 75th minute in this tournament.For most of the first 60 minutes of the game, England handled Messi well. Tuchel’s side filled central areas whenever Argentina built from the back. Elliot Anderson stayed close to Messi whenever the ball was played to him and refused to give the Argentina captain time to turn. England also made sure to always have numbers around the middle of the pitch, with Harry Kane regularly dropping deeper to help close down passing lanes.It made Messi’s life miserable. By half-time, the 39-year-old had lost possession 15 times, more than in the opening 45 minutes of any game he had played in the previous two World Cups or Copa America tournaments. Neither side was willing to take unnecessary risks. The opening half produced just three shots, while a physical battle resulted in 19 fouls as both teams looked to deny space rather than create it.Even after Gordon’s goal, England continued to deny Messi space. He created a single chance until the 60th minute, with none of his three crosses reaching a teammate.But the game was slowly changing.

England’s bid to last shattered by Argentina’s master class

England struggled to protect their lead and retreated deeper and deeper. Tuchel made changes to strengthen the defence, yet these substitutions also invited Argentina forward. Between Gordon’s goal and Lautaro Martinez’s winner, England had just 12 percent of possession.This allowed Messi and his troops to dictate the game.Instead of receiving the ball in crowded central areas, he started drifting into wider positions where he had more time and space. Argentina also found more space through Rodrigo De Paul and Alexis Mac Allister, expanding England’s compact defensive shape.About 10 minutes before the equaliser, De Paul whipped in a cross from the right that found Mac Allister, whose effort hit the post. It served as a warning that England were struggling to get out of their own half.Before long, Argentina created another chance. While England’s eight outfield players were deployed around their own penalty area to mark just the three Argentine forwards, Enzo Fernandez, Messi and De Paul were left with space outside the box.Fernandez collected the ball, drove forward and forced Jordan Pickford into a save. The resulting corner eventually led to Argentina’s equalizer in the 85th minute. To preserve their lead, England edged closer and closer to their own goal, hoping to put up the kind of impenetrable wall they had when they held on to beat Mexico in the round of 16 despite being 10 men down.Tuchel replaced defender Reece James with Dan Burn and midfielder Declan Rice with defender Nico O’Reilly in the 82nd minute.The equalizer came in exactly the area England had left exposed.Messi collected the ball on the right and found Fernandez outside the penalty area. Jude Bellingham, who was showing signs of fatigue, couldn’t close it down quickly enough as the Chelsea midfielder struck from distance to make it 1-1.After nine minutes of stoppage time, Scaloni’s men continued to push forward as England looked to move their defensive line higher up the pitch.The decisive moment came in the second minute of extra time.Argentina kept coming and England’s wall kept coming down. The defending champions hit the crossbar and missed another header across the goalmouth before Martinez finally sealed it with a powerful header from close range after the England defenders lost him to Messi’s cross. Lautaro Martinez timed his run perfectly, rose above his marker and headed past Pickford to send Argentina to another World Cup final.England protected their leads against Mexico and Norway earlier in the tournament by relying on their defensive form. But against Argentina, sitting at the back only increased the pressure.By giving back territory, England allowed Messi to influence the game. Argentina kept moving the ball, constantly stretching the defense and finally finding the openings they needed.“They’re tired,” Martinez said after the game. “They pushed for sixty minutes and then they just ran out of breath. They got their goal and then sat back. That gave us more composure to move the ball and stretch the field.”