By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-07-18 17:28:12 | Updated at 2026-08-02 19:54:33
2 weeks ago
Argentina showed their trademark grit and determination to get through to another World Cup final. Re-live this semi-final with our England vs Argentina stats page.
Lionel Messi inspired yet another Argentina comeback as they struck two late goals to beat England 2-1 and reach the World Cup final.
The world champions will have the chance to defend their title against Spain at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, with Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez getting the goals to overturn the lead Anthony Gordon had given England.
The match was gritty in the early stages, with a stop-start first half-hour eventually resulting in John Stones heading just wide from a Declan Rice free-kick.
At the other end, Fernández’s follow-up from a blocked Messi shot only just flew over the crossbar and had Jordan Pickford worried.
Argentina started the second half brightly, with Julián Alvarez getting the better of Djed Spence, but his near-post attempt was well blocked by Pickford before the striker’s second effort was deflected into the side netting.
But it was England who got the opening goal with a lovely move that started deep. Lisandro Martínez acrobatically cleared, but only as far as Rice, who picked out Morgan Rogers to swing in a delightful cross that was swept home by Gordon in the 55th minute.
Spence denied Giuliano Simeone a tight-angled attempt with a brilliant last-ditch tackle, while Pickford got down sharply to reflexively keep out Nico González‘s glancing header as Argentina upped the pressure.
Alexis Mac Allister threw himself on the end of Rodrigo De Paul‘s peach of a cross, but thumped his header off the inside of the left post, before González nodded across the face of goal shortly after.
Fernandez remained a threat, and moments after seeing another drive tipped over by Pickford, he bent a superb finish around the crowd and into the far side of the net after being picked out by Messi with five minutes left of normal time.
Seven minutes later, Martínez sent the Argentina fans into raptures. Mac Allister saw a low drive rebound off the right post this time, and Messi recycled it, lifting another wonderful cross into the box, and the Inter striker was unmarked to thump his header into the net to secure the victory.
Argentina Again Dig Deep With Never-Say-Die Spirit
As expected, it was a cagey start to the match, with neither team finding enough space to trouble their opponents, but in the end, the world champions showed their experience.
There were 19 fouls committed and 0 shots on target in the opening half; the most fouls without an attempt on target in any half of football at this World Cup.
In fact, this was the first World Cup match on record (since 1966) not to see a single shot in the first 30 minutes. The combined expected goals (xG) between England and Argentina in the first half was just 0.08 – the lowest in the first half of a World Cup knockout-stage match.
But while the first half lacked quality, Gordon provided some in the second as he prodded England in front. He has been directly involved in six goals in his last seven games for England (two goals, four assists), after having just two involvements in his first 18 outings for his country (two goals).
England struggled to create anything after that, and all eyes were then on Messi, and he did not disappoint. He has now scored or assisted in 11 consecutive World Cup appearances, extending the longest-ever run by a player on record since 1966.
Including his two assists here, Messi has 12 World Cup assists, 10 of which have come in the knockout rounds. No other player on record has more than eight in total.
It was a heartbreaking end for England, who for the second time this century scored first in a World Cup semi-final but missed out on a place in the showpiece, having done the same in 2018 when they lost 2-1 to Croatia in extra-time.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the England vs Argentina stats from their 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final meeting at Atlanta Stadium on 15 July.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
England vs Argentina: Selected Post-Match Opta Facts
- Argentina have reached the FIFA World Cup final for the seventh time, the outright second most of any side after Germany (8).
- Argentina have reached consecutive FIFA World Cup finals for the second time, previously doing so in 1986/1990.
- Having won their first FIFA World Cup semi-final in 1966, England have now been eliminated in each of their last three matches at this stage (1990, 2018, 2026).
- The 2026 final between Spain and Argentina will be the first ever FIFA World Cup final between the reigning UEFA European champions, and the reigning CONMEBOL Copa America champions.
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