ATLANTA — England’s attempt to protect a one-goal lead against Argentina backfired as Lionel Messi orchestrated a dramatic late comeback to send the defending champions into the World Cup final with a 2-1 victory on Wednesday.
Coach Thomas Tuchel reshaped his side after Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute opener, introducing extra defenders in an effort to preserve England’s advantage. Instead, Argentina overwhelmed the Three Lions with relentless pressure before Enzo Fernández equalized in the 85th minute and substitute Lautaro Martínez headed in the winner in stoppage time.
“They won every header. They kept crossing and crossing. So we went to a back five to close the gaps inside and be stronger in the air,” Tuchel said.
“Straight after our goal, with no substitutions, we just conceded way too many crosses and way too many chances. So we tried to help. But of course the responsibility is on the coach. If it doesn’t go well, it’s easy to say that it was wrong.”
England’s defeat meant the team that scored first in a World Cup semifinal failed to reach the final for only the second time this century — the other occasion also involving England in its 2018 semifinal loss to Croatia.
After Gordon’s opener, Argentina steadily seized control of the contest.
Tuchel introduced Dan Burn for Reece James and Nico O’Reilly for Declan Rice in the 82nd minute, shifting to a more defensive setup as England retreated deeper into its own half.
“We played a good game for the large majority of it,” captain Harry Kane said. “Once we went 1-0 up, we seemed to just try and hold on, which at this level is not enough. Just gutted, because we’ve worked so hard to get here.”
Messi unlocked England’s defense with a perfectly weighted pass to Fernández, whose curling strike from outside the area beat Jordan Pickford to level the score.
Argentina continued to pile on the pressure, striking the crossbar and creating further chances before Messi delivered another precise cross that Martínez powered home with a close-range header in stoppage time.
“They got tired,” Martínez said. “They pressed for 60 minutes and then just ran out of steam. They got their goal and then sat back. That gave us more composure to move the ball around and stretch the pitch.”
Argentina advanced to Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain, where it will bid to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the title.
Source: Saudi Gazette