Argentina Shut Out England, Lautaro Martinez Takes the Tango Team Through to the 2026 World Cup Final.

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

The match proceeded at a high tempo right from the opening whistle. Both Argentina and England played with full aggression.

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 as he ruled no foul had taken place.

England created their first scoring opportunity in the 33rd minute. Declan Rice's curling free kick was met with a header from John Stones, but the ball drifted wide past Emiliano Martinez's goal.

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

Entering the second half, Argentina ramped up their attacking intensity. Julian Alvarez was first to threaten with a fierce shot from inside the penalty area, but Pickford reacted quickly to secure England's goal.

Just as Argentina began to dominate possession, England broke the deadlock. Anthony Gordon put The Three Lions ahead after connecting with Morgan Rogers' cross, finishing with an accurate shot past Emiliano Martinez.

This goal forced Lionel Scaloni to make a tactical change. Nico Gonzalez replaced Leandro Paredes to add extra attacking firepower for Argentina.

The substitution almost paid off immediately in the 68th minute. Nico Gonzalez met a cross with a powerful header directly in front of goal, only for Jordan Pickford to pull off an exceptional save.

Thomas Tuchel then opted to shore up his defence, bringing on Ezri Konsa to replace Anthony Gordon in the 72nd minute.

Argentina continued to bombard England's back line. Alexis Mac Allister threatened with a header in the 76th minute, but Pickford once again demonstrated his world class ability to claim the ball safely.

Argentina's relentless pressure finally paid off in the 85th minute. Enzo Fernandez unleashed a thunderous shot from outside the penalty area that flew hard into the far corner, completely out of Pickford's reach. The score was levelled at 1-1.

Just as the match appeared set to go to extra time, Lionel Messi once again showed why he is a game changer. Argentina's captain delivered a perfectly weighted cross into the penalty box which was met cleanly with a headed finish from Lautaro Martinez.

Lautaro's last gasp injury time goal sealed the 2-1 victory for Argentina, confirming the defending champions' progression to the 2026 World Cup final. Argentina will face Spain in the final match.

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.