Post-Match Analysis
Overview
This game had almost nothing for most of the night, and then everything happened all at once. England led for over half an hour after Anthony Gordon scored, and it looked like they were finally going to get over the line and reach a final for the first time since 1966. Then Argentina, as they’ve done all tournament, found a way. Enzo Fernández pulled things level in the 85th minute, and Lautaro Martínez headed home the winner deep into stoppage time. Both goals came from Messi’s crosses. England will be gutted. Argentina, somehow, are through to another final.
A Cagey, Physical First Half
For long spells, this didn’t even look like a football match. Both teams were kicking each other more than the ball, and neither side managed a shot on target before the break. Argentina’s plan seemed simple: drag England into a scrappy, physical game and stop them from playing their normal passing football. It worked, for a while at least. England looked uncomfortable, and the game turned into a fight for fouls and free kicks rather than a game of chances.
Gordon Gives England the Lead (55′)
England finally found their moment just after the hour mark. Morgan Rogers whipped in a good cross from the right, and Anthony Gordon was there to tap it home from close range. For a moment, it looked like England had cracked the code. They pushed on, looked more confident, and Argentina, so used to being the team in control, suddenly looked like they were chasing the game instead of setting the pace.
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Fernandez Levels It Late On (85′)
Just when England thought they were closing in on the final, Argentina did what Argentina do. Enzo Fernandez had already gone close once, seeing an effort tipped over, before he found the equaliser with a brilliant strike from outside the box. Messi was the man who set it up, sliding the ball into space with the kind of pass only he seems to see. England’s lead, and their nerves, were gone in an instant.
Martinez Breaks England’s Hearts (90+2′)
There was barely time to catch a breath before Argentina struck again. Deep into stoppage time, Messi swung in another cross, and Lautaro Martinez rose above the England defence to head home the winner. It was cruel on England, who had done so much right for most of the second half, but it was also completely in keeping with Argentina’s tournament. This team just doesn’t know how to lose, even when they look beaten.
Verdict
England will wonder how they let this one slip. They led for over thirty minutes and looked the more composed side for most of the second half, only to be undone by two moments of quality in the last ten minutes. Argentina, on the other hand, showed exactly why they are the champions. They didn’t play their best football all night, but they found a way to win anyway, and that habit is what separates good teams from great ones. This wasn’t Argentina’s best performance of the tournament, but it might be their most important.
My Take
This game really did feel like two different matches stitched together. For an hour it was a battle, tense and a bit ugly, and England looked like they were finally about to get the job done. Then Messi got involved, and the whole thing changed. It’s almost unfair at this point, you know Argentina are there, you know they’re capable of pulling something out of nothing, and yet somehow it still catches you off guard every single time.
For England, this is going to hurt for a long time. Being this close to a first final in sixty years and losing it in the last few minutes is a tough way to go out. But for Argentina, this is just who they are now. They don’t need to be the better team, they just need Messi to have one more moment left in him, and so far, he always has.
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