Argentina defeated England 2-1 in the World Cup semi-final at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on Thursday, 16 July 2026, overturning a first England lead through two goals in the final stages of the match to advance to the final.
A Goalless First Half
The opening 45 minutes produced no goals despite a lively contest punctuated by frequent free kicks and bookings. Referee Ismail Elfath was kept busy as both sides gave away possession in scrappy passages of play. Giuliano Simeone was the most frequent offender for Argentina, committing multiple fouls across the half. England's Elliot Anderson received the first yellow card of the match at 37 minutes for a foul, while Argentina's Lisandro Martínez was booked for a bad foul at 42 minutes.
Argentina had moments of promise, with Lionel Messi's left-footed effort from outside the box blocked at 38 minutes — Leandro Paredes providing the assist — and Enzo Fernández sending a right-footed attempt just too high from range at the same point in the half. England's clearest first-half opportunity came at 33 minutes when John Stones headed wide from close range at the right side of the six-yard box following a set piece. Three minutes of added time were played, with Morgan Rogers caught offside and Leandro Paredes penalised for dangerous play before the sides went in level at 0-0.
England Strike First
The second half opened with immediate Argentina pressure. Julián Alvarez had two opportunities in quick succession at 47 minutes: a right-footed shot from a tight angle that went narrowly wide, assisted by Messi, and then a shot from the right side of the box that Jordan Pickford saved in the bottom right corner. Argentina also forced a corner from Pickford at 47 minutes.
Against that run of play, England took the lead at 55 minutes. Anthony Gordon scored with a right-footed shot from very close range to give England a 1-0 advantage. England continued to threaten, with Declan Rice's effort from outside the box saved at 66 minutes and Harry Kane's blocked attempt, assisted by Rice, following shortly after.
Argentina responded with sustained pressure. At 69 minutes, Nico González — introduced as a substitute for Paredes at 64 minutes — had a header from the centre of the box saved by Pickford, with the assist coming from a Messi cross. At 76 minutes, Alexis Mac Allister headed against the left post from the centre of the box, assisted by a Rodrigo De Paul cross, moments after his own header from the same area had been saved.
Late Argentina Comeback
Argentina made a triple substitution at 72 minutes, bringing on Rodrigo De Paul, Nicolás Otamendi, and Gonzalo Montiel for Simeone, Lisandro Martínez, and Nahuel Molina respectively. England also made changes, with Ezri Konsa replacing the goalscorer Anthony Gordon at 72 minutes. At 81 minutes, Reece James was forced off through injury, replaced by Dan Burn, and Nico O'Reilly came on for Declan Rice at 83 minutes.
Argentina equalised at 85 minutes. Enzo Fernández struck a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner, assisted by Lionel Messi following a corner, to make it 1-1. A further injury delay followed at 89 minutes when John Stones was hurt, leading to him being substituted by Ivan Toney in added time.
With nine minutes of added time indicated, Argentina completed the turnaround at 90+2 minutes. Lautaro Martínez, who had come on as a substitute at 81 minutes, headed in from very close range to put Argentina 2-1 ahead. England pushed late, with Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney introduced from the bench, but were unable to find an equaliser. Rodrigo De Paul received a yellow card at 90+4 minutes as Argentina held on through a fractious closing period. The match ended 2-1 to Argentina, who advance to the World Cup final.
