England led at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and looked set to reach their first World Cup final since 1966, but Argentina found two goals in the last five minutes to win 2-1 and advance to the final. Anthony Gordon put the Three Lions ahead on 55 minutes, yet Enzo Fernandez equalized on 85 and Lautaro Martinez, just minutes after coming off the bench, struck in stoppage time to complete the turnaround. Thomas Tuchel’s side could not hold what they had, and a famous night belongs to Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina.
Key Moments
- 37′, Elliot Anderson picked up a yellow card for tripping as England tried to disrupt Argentina’s passing rhythm in midfield.
- 42′, Lisandro Martinez was booked for holding as Argentina collected their own caution before the break.
- 51′, Cristian Romero added a second yellow for Argentina for holding, giving England hope they could exploit gaps at the back.
- 55′, Anthony Gordon put England ahead with a normal finish, the only goal of the first 80 minutes and enough to send Tuchel’s bench wild.
- 64′, Argentina made their first substitution, withdrawing Leandro Paredes as Scaloni began reshaping his midfield.
- 72′, Argentina made three changes at once, introducing Giuliano Simeone, Nahuel Molina, and Lautaro Martinez to inject energy and directness into the attack.
- 85′, Enzo Fernandez equalized for Argentina, making it 1-1 and forcing England into a desperate final stretch.
- 90′, Lautaro Martinez, on as a substitute since the 72nd minute, scored to make it 2-1 and book Argentina’s place in the final.
Tactical Breakdown
Argentina controlled this semi-final from start to finish by almost every metric. They held 64% of the ball, completed 537 of 590 passes at a 91% accuracy rate, and registered 15 total shots to England’s five. Their xG of 1.84 compared to England’s 0.53 tells the clearest story: this should never have been as close as 1-0 for as long as it was. Emiliano Martinez was called upon only once for a save, while Jordan Pickford made three stops to keep the deficit manageable.
The real turning point came at the 72-minute mark, when Scaloni made three substitutions simultaneously. Bringing on Lautaro Martinez gave Argentina a more physical and direct focal point up front alongside Messi and Julian Alvarez, and the change paid off within 13 minutes. Fernandez’s goal on 85 minutes released the tension, and it was the freshly introduced Lautaro who delivered the killing blow in stoppage time. England had used their own changes on James and Rice at 82 minutes, an attempt to shore up what they had, but it was too late to reorganize against a side that had built pressure for 90 minutes.
For England, the problem was structural. Tuchel’s 4-2-3-1 was compressed deep for long stretches, winning just one corner all game and managing only two shots on target. With 36% possession, the Three Lions were forced to defend for long periods without the ball, and while they executed a disciplined first 70 minutes, they ran out of legs and options when Argentina finally found their rhythm in the closing stages.
Player Ratings
World Cup knockout bracket
Knockout results, aggregate scores across legs; winners in bold, penalty shootouts noted.
Head to Head
Verdict
Argentina advance to the 2026 World Cup final, where they will carry the weight of defending champions and a squad that has now shown it can win ugly as well as dominate. England’s tournament ends without the result the country craved, beaten not by superior talent alone but by fresher legs and smarter substitutions in the moments that mattered. Tuchel’s side will rue 35 minutes of relative comfort that ultimately cost them everything.