Argentina beat England to reach the World Cup final for the second time in a row
The Argentina national team beat England 2–1 in the semi-final of the 2026 World Cup, which took place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The first 30 minutes of the match passed without a single shot on target. According to a source, this was the first time this had happened in the history of World Cup matches since such statistics were first recorded in 1966. Throughout the entire first half, neither side managed a single shot on target, although there were several heated exchanges on the pitch following fouls.
Argentina created the first dangerous moment after the break. In the 47th minute, Julián Álvarez shot towards the near post, but England’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford saved the effort.
In the 55th minute, England opened the scoring. Anthony Gordon finished off a cross from Morgan Rogers on the right flank to put his side ahead.
After conceding the goal, the Argentines stepped up their efforts. In the 69th minute, Nico González had a dangerous header, but Pickford saved his team. A few minutes later, Alexis Mac Allister hit the post, and his follow-up header also failed to find the net.
In the 85th minute, Enzo Fernández shot from distance, but the England goalkeeper tipped the ball over the bar. Just a minute later, following a pass from Lionel Messi, Fernández fired a precise shot from outside the penalty area to level the score.
Argentina scored the winning goal in the second minute of stoppage time. After Alexis McCallister’s shot struck the post, Lautaro Martínez headed home a cross from Lionel Messi to make the final score 2–1.
In the World Cup final, Argentina will face Spain, who defeated France 2–0 in the other semi-final. The tournament’s decider will take place on 19 July at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. The match is scheduled to kick off at 22:00 Kyiv time.
Prior to that, on the night of 19 July, the third-place play-off between France and England will take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
