Argentina reaches World Cup final again with Messi's late heroics

Defending champions Argentina have made it to the World Cup final for the second consecutive time.

Defending champion Argentina has reached the football World Cup final for the second consecutive time. Lionel Messi's team defeated England 2-1 in the second semi-final on Wednesday night. The team was trailing 0-1 until the 85th minute. Then, in the last 7 minutes, they scored two goals to secure the victory. They will face Spain in the final on 19th July.

In Atlanta, England seemed to be heading towards the final with Anthony Gordon's goal in the 55th minute. But Lionel Messi's team turned the match around at the last moment. Enzo Fernandez scored a brilliant goal from 25 yards on Messi's pass to level the score at 1-1. Then, in the second minute of injury time, substitute Lautaro Martinez scored a header from Messi's precise cross to clinch the win.

This will be Argentina's 7th World Cup final. The team has previously played finals in 1930, 1978, 1986, 1990, 2014, and 2022. Argentina has won the World Cup in 1978, 1986, and 2022. Now, they have the chance to win the title for the second consecutive time and the fourth time overall.

From the start of the match, it was clear that it was not just about football. In the third minute, after a tackle on England's Elliot Anderson, players from both teams confronted each other. Referee Ismail Elfath had to intervene. Throughout the first half, players clashed multiple times, and there was an abundance of fouls. England got their first chance in the 33rd minute. John Stones headed Declan Rice's free-kick, but the ball hit the net and went out.

For Argentina, Enzo Fernandez took a shot from outside the box in the 38th minute, which went over the goalpost. In the 37th minute, Lionel Messi advanced, but Elliot Anderson fouled him to stop him. Anderson received a yellow card for this. In the 42nd minute, Argentina's Lisandro Martinez was also shown a card for pulling Jude Bellingham's jersey. Even after the half-time whistle, players from both teams continued to argue with the referee, with Messi being the last to leave the field.

After the break, Argentina started aggressively. Julian Alvarez took the first on-target shot in the 48th minute, which Jordan Pickford saved brilliantly. England scored the first goal of the match in the 55th minute. On Harry Kane's long pass, Argentina's defense failed to clear completely. Declan Rice passed the ball to Morgan Rogers. Rogers delivered a precise cross from the right, which Anthony Gordon finished easily from the box. This was Gordon's first goal of the tournament, and England took a 1-0 lead.

After conceding the goal, Argentina started playing an attacking game. The team got a corner in the 86th minute. Lionel Messi played a short corner and passed the ball to Enzo Fernandez. Fernandez took a shot from about 25 yards. The ball went through the players and directly into the net. With this goal, the score became 1-1. Enzo Fernandez broke into tears after scoring.

In the second minute of injury time, Messi worked his magic again. He sent the ball into the box from the right. Substitute striker Lautaro Martinez got ahead of the defenders and scored a brilliant header to put the ball into the goal. Argentina turned the match around within 7 minutes to take a 2-1 lead.