In the 2026 World Cup semifinals on Wednesday, England led Argentina 1-0 late in the second half before Argentina mounted a dramatic comeback to win 2-1. Lionel Messi assisted on goals by Enzo Fernandez in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martinez in the second minute of injury time, securing Argentina’s place in the final against Spain.

England manager Thomas Tuchel made tactical changes in the 82nd minute, substituting Reece James for Dan Burn and Declan Rice for defender Nico O’Reilly, aiming to protect the lead by reinforcing the defense. However, the strategy fell short as Argentina scored twice in the final moments.

England striker Harry Kane reflected on the loss, saying, “Once we went 1-0 up, we seemed to just try and hold on, which at this level is not enough.” Lautaro Martinez added, “They got tired. They pressed for 60 minutes and then just ran out of steam.”

This defeat marked England’s missed opportunity to reach the World Cup final for the first time since 1966. According to Opta, it was only the second time this century that the team scoring first in a World Cup semifinal did not advance to the final.

Sources