Argentina, the nine lives of a champion – Messi inspires comeback to reach the final as England pay the price

The Gauchos will have the chance to defend their world title after completing a comeback to beat England 2-1.Lautaro Martinez will take the hero&rsquo;s mantle after scoring the winning goal in the 92nd minute from Messi&rsquo;s cross to seal Argentina&rsquo;s victory. Meanwhile, the South American side&rsquo;s captain played a decisive role, providing two assists to &ldquo;draw&rdquo; the triumph for Lionel Scaloni&rsquo;s team.Argentina have taught us not to write them off whenever they find themselves behind on the scoreboard. That was the case against Egypt, who led 2-0, and now against England as well, with the Three Lions completely falling apart after taking the lead in the 55th minute.🏆 #FIFAWorldCup&iexcl;A LA FINAL, ARGENTINA DE MI VIDA! 🩵🤍No traten de entenderlo, hay que nacer ac&aacute; para sentir este orgullo en el pecho. Una vez m&aacute;s pusimos al pa&iacute;s donde se merece estar. &iexcl;Gracias, muchachos! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/vpZVzpgclz&mdash; 🇦🇷 Selecci&oacute;n Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) July 15, 2026It was expected that there would be plenty of tension in the second semifinal. The two national teams have a serious history of encounters, and from the very first minute we witnessed a true football battle on the pitch. Crunching tackles were flying in, with the Gauchos leading the way in that department, but Thomas Tuchel&rsquo;s men also knew how to respond and deliver a challenge when needed.There was not much quality football on display in the opening period; the tension dominated proceedings. The only moment worth mentioning was Enzo Fernandez&rsquo;s long-range effort, with the ball flying just over the crossbar.It would later turn out that the English had failed to learn their lesson from that attempt...The second half was the complete opposite. Argentina opened the second period with two huge chances for Alvarez, but Pickford kept his side&rsquo;s net untouched.Shortly afterwards, England took the lead. Rice won the ball back and played in Rogers, who sent a cross to the far post, where Gordon escaped the sleepy Molina and beat Emiliano Martinez.The Three Lions looked excellent defensively, with Spence standing out thanks to a superb sliding tackle that prevented Simeone from scoring. However, it seems Tuchel made his defensive switch too early, taking Gordon off and bringing Konsa on.Meanwhile, Scaloni introduced Nico Gonzalez and shifted the momentum in Argentina&rsquo;s favour. Argentina began to pile pressure on England&rsquo;s goal, with chances coming one after another. Pickford produced a brilliant save to deny Gonzalez&rsquo;s header.England&rsquo;s defence started to crumble, and after the water break, Mac Allister struck the post while falling. Tuchel further strengthened his defence, showing little interest in counterattacks, where he lacked fresh attacking options &mdash; and he was punished for it.Argentina won a corner after Enzo Fernandez&rsquo;s shot, which led to a well-worked move. The Argentine midfielder was left completely unmarked after Messi&rsquo;s pass, while the players in white shirts were slow to step out. Fernandez then produced a superb finish to beat the previously outstanding Pickford. Scaloni had already strengthened his attack by bringing on Lautaro, and that substitution proved to be the decisive one. Mac Allister hit the post once again, and as the move continued, the ball fell to Messi. He delivered a cross into the heart of the penalty area, and Lautaro rose between England&rsquo;s towering defenders to complete the comeback and send Argentina into the final. Spain await them there, with the match scheduled for Sunday at 9 PM.Follow all the action from the game via the LIVE BLOG on B92.sport.

Argentina, the nine lives of a champion – Messi inspires comeback to reach the final as England pay the price

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