Argentina Shut Out England, Lautaro Martinez Guides the Tango Team to the 2026 World Cup Final

Argentina advanced to the 2026 World Cup final after defeating England 2-1 in the semifinal match held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, United States, early Thursday WIB. Lautaro Martinez emerged as La Albiceleste's match hero with his injury time goal.

The match was played at high tempo straight from the opening whistle. Both Argentina and England competed with aggressive play.

Elliot Anderson got into a verbal altercation with Enzo Fernandez, while Morgan Rogers committed a foul against Leandro Paredes.

Lionel Messi went down in the 16th minute after being tackled by an England player. However, the referee allowed play to continue after ruling no foul had taken place.

England created their first goalscoring opportunity in the 33rd minute. Declan Rice delivered a curling free kick that was met by John Stones' header, but the ball drifted wide of Emiliano Martinez's goal.

Argentina responded six minutes before half time with a powerful strike from Enzo Fernandez outside the penalty box. The ball sailed just over Jordan Pickford's crossbar, leaving the score locked at 0-0 when the first half concluded.

Entering the second half, Argentina raised their attacking intensity. Julian Alvarez registered the first threat with a fierce shot from inside the penalty area, but Pickford reacted sharply to defend England's goal.

Just as Argentina began to dominate proceedings, England broke the deadlock. Anthony Gordon put The Three Lions ahead, connecting with Morgan Rogers' cross before firing an accurate finish past Emiliano Martinez.

This goal forced Lionel Scaloni to make a tactical change, bringing on Nico Gonzalez in place of Leandro Paredes to add extra firepower to Argentina's forward line.

The substitution almost paid off immediately in the 68th minute. Nico Gonzalez met a cross with a powerful close-range header, only for Jordan Pickford to pull off an outstanding save.

Thomas Tuchel then opted to strengthen his defence, substituting Ezri Konsa on for Anthony Gordon in the 72nd minute.

Argentina continued to bombard England's backline. Alexis Mac Allister went close with a header in the 76th minute, but Pickford once again demonstrated his world class ability to secure the ball.

Argentina's unrelenting pressure finally broke through in the 85th minute. Enzo Fernandez unleashed a thunderous long range strike from outside the penalty area that flew into the far corner of the goal, completely out of Pickford's reach, levelling the score at 1-1.

Just as the match appeared destined for extra time, Lionel Messi once again showed his ability to decide big games. The Argentina captain delivered a perfectly weighted cross into the penalty box which was converted by Lautaro Martinez's header.

Lautaro's stoppage time goal sealed the 2-1 victory for Argentina, confirming the defending champions' place in the 2026 World Cup final. Argentina will face Spain in the tournament decider.

Match Lineups

England (4-2-3-1): Jordan Pickford; Reece James, John Stones, Marc Guehi, Djed Spence; Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson; Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon; Harry Kane.

Argentina (4-4-2): Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico; Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Giuliano Simeone; Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez.