How Argentina roared back - and England crumbled - in World Cup semifinal

Argentina produced another incredible late comeback to reach its second straight World Cup final and leave England in shock. Relive the action below.

Full-time analysis 📋

➡️ Heart of a champion: Resilience. Perseverance. Mental fortitude. Argentina has all of it in spades. The reigning world champion is never out of any match, showing time and again the amazing power of recovery to turn what would be a defeat for any other side into a victory. Lionel Messi, who delivered assists on both of his team's late goals, was slowly growing into the game in the second half, and his pinpoint deliveries into the box finally undid England when he dropped a gorgeous (right-footed!) cross directly onto Lautaro Martinez's head for the winner in the 92nd minute.

Can Argentina summon this incredible determination one more time against Spain to win back-to-back World Cup titles? What a final we have on tap between the reigning European and South American champions.

➡️ Tuchel's disastrous subs: It was understandable when England boss Thomas Tuchel made defensive substitutions against Mexico earlier in the tournament while playing with 10 men, but the same type of tactic backfired Wednesday. Yes, Argentina was already pushing hard and flipped the field immediately after conceding the opening goal - before Tuchel began making his changes and moved to a defensive back-five - but his subs only exacerbated the issue, and they came far too early. Between Anthony Gordon's opening goal and Enzo Fernandez's equalizer, England averaged 12% of the ball, with Argentina enjoying 88% of the possession.

It felt inevitable that Argentina would score as England sat deeper and deeper inside its own half and ceded the play, and so it proved. Argentina attacked in waves, and England simply couldn't catch a breather or retain any type of possession to stop the onslaught. Inviting that type of pressure against Mexico - with all respect to El Tri - is one thing, but against Messi and the reigning world champion? Tuchel is going to come under massive scrutiny here for his tactical approach in the second half.

FT: Argentina 2, England 1

Trailing 1-0 with five minutes of normal time remaining in the World Cup semifinal? The Albiceleste had the Three Lions exactly where they wanted them. Lionel Messi - who else? - comes up with two late assists to send the reigning champion back to the title match against Spain. What a comeback.

🚨 GOAL! Argentina 2, England 1

92nd minute: Wow. Never, ever (ever) count out Argentina. The reigning World Cup champion has turned it around against England. Substitute Lautaro Martinez heads home in stoppage time to give Argentina the lead.

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🚨 GOAL! Argentina 1, England 1

85th minute: It had been coming. Enzo Fernandez finds himself in space outside the box after a short corner kick, and unleashes a thunderous strike to level the match. The stadium is rocking.

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Argentina hits the post

76th minute: Alexis Mac Allister smacks the inside of the post with a header from an exquisite Rodrigo De Paul cross as Argentina comes close again. England has switched to five defenders across the back, but it's a dangerous tactic; it seems very unlikely that Thomas Tuchel's men can simply sit back and hold on for another 15 minutes or so. Argentina, no stranger to late comebacks in this tournament, is making a huge push.

HUGE Pickford save

68th minute: Substitute Nico Gonzalez redirects a perfect Lionel Messi cross on target, but Jordan Pickford quickly gets down to his right to make a brilliant close-range stop on the header. The hydration break that follows comes at a perfect time for England after an Argentina onslaught.

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Argentina punching back

65th minute: Here comes the Argentina response; the Albiceleste are throwing more bodies forward after going behind, launching multiple crosses into the box and committing players forward in an effort to find an equalizer. England will need to dig in and defend resolutely, but there could be space for the Three Lions on the counterattack.

🚨 GOAL! England 1, Argentina 0

55th minute: Anthony Gordon breaks the deadlock! The Barcelona winger sneaks in at the back post to give England the lead after a pinpoint ball from Morgan Rogers. Nahuel Molina fell asleep and England took full advantage.

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Worth monitoring

51st minute: Cristian Romero picks up a yellow card for pulling Jude Bellingham back to stop a promising England attack. Both Argentina center-backs are now on a booking. Something to track as the match continues.

A shot on target, finally!

47th minute: Julian Alvarez tests Jordan Pickford with a fierce effort, and then immediately takes another shot that hits the side netting. A bright start to the second stanza for the reigning world champion.

2nd half underway

No changes from either manager at the break. We're back underway in Atlanta.

Halftime analysis 📋

➡️ On a knife-edge: The technical level of this match hasn't been anything close to what we saw from Spain yesterday, but that hasn't made it any less intriguing. Neither goalkeeper was tested in the first half - there wasn't a single shot on target - but the pace of play has been incredible, the crowd noise brilliant, and the physicality undeniable. The two teams combined for 19 fouls in a scrappy opening stanza. This type of football almost certainly suits Argentina more than England, but the Three Lions aren't backing down. You can't take your eyes off this game. It's a riveting battle.

➡️Changes coming?: England manager Thomas Tuchel was furiously scribbling notes on the bench in the closing minutes of the first half. Will he make some early changes? Morgan Rogers has been relatively quiet, and he's constantly tucking inside from the right wing. That's helping England have numbers in the center of the pitch, which is crucial, but it's also robbing the Three Lions of an outlet out wide, where Nicolas Tagliafico could be susceptible if he's isolated against a rapid winger. Interesting dilemma for Tuchel to try and figure out.

➡️ Argentina's pressure: England wants to try and build up play slowly from the back, but Argentina is pressing extremely high when Jordan Pickford has the ball, and that's forcing the England netminder to launch the ball long. Argentina has dealt with those long balls well, for the most part, but England did manage to win some second balls in midfield after the initial clearance.

Halftime: England 0, Argentina 0

Nothing to separate the two teams after an intense 45 minutes.

1st yellow card 🟨

37th minute: It's popping off now. Lionel Messi springs to life for the first time in the match, somehow wriggling through multiple tackles before being wiped out by Elliot Anderson, who gets the game's first yellow card. The Argentina players, unsurprisingly, race to the defense of their captain, and a scrum ensues. From the resulting free-kick, Enzo Fernandez lets a long-range shot fly that just goes over the crossbar. The game is really coming to life now.

Tuchel apoplectic

29th minute: England boss Thomas Tuchel is letting the fourth official hear it on the touchline after multiple calls in quick succession go against his side.

11 fouls, 0 shots

25th minute: We've hit the first-half hydration break, with no shots on target - or even shot attempts - to speak of in Atlanta. That hasn't dampened the mood of the crowd, though; it's a raucous atmosphere. The two teams are embracing the physical nature of the game, combining for 11 fouls. Neither side is allowing the other an inch out there.

Calm heads needed

18th minute: Referee Ismail Elfath is trying to let them play in Atlanta. That likely favors Argentina's more physical approach, but England is keeping its cool thus far and trying to find openings between the lines.

It's getting heated

12th minute: The tackles - and fouls - are flying in right now, and the benches have both been up to remonstrate with the officials. Elliot Anderson has been an apparent early target of the Argentine aggression; the Manchester City-bound midfielder has already been on the receiving end of multiple fouls. It'll be a minor miracle if there isn't a yellow card handed out very soon.

Chippy start

3rd minute: Enzo Fernandez and Leandro Paredes are making their presence known with some early fouls, trying to get England's midfielders off their game right from the opening whistle. This one's already on the edge. Referee Ismail Elfath has a big task on his hands to keep a lid on the contest.

1st half underway

Here we go. Will it be England or Argentina to join Spain in the World Cup final? We're about to find out.

Pregame notes

Starting XIs

England (4-2-3-1) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Pickford; James, Stones, Guehi, Spence; Rice, Anderson; Rogers, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane

Argentina (4-4-2) 🇦🇷

E. Martinez; Molina, Romero, L. Martinez, Tagliafico; Simeone, Paredes, Fernandez, Mac Allister; Messi, Alvarez

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England manager Thomas Tuchel is making three changes to his lineup, with Reece James and Djed Spence getting rewarded for their strong cameo appearances in the quarterfinal win over Norway. Nico O'Reilly and Ezri Konsa drop to the bench, with James and Spence assuming the full-back roles. Up front, Morgan Rogers replaces Noni Madueke. Vital midfielder Declan Rice has overcome an illness to start against Argentina.

Spence's inclusion is the biggest call from Tuchel. The Tottenham full-back, not unlike compatriot Dan Burn, has become something of a cult hero for England in the knockout stages.

Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni has made one change from his quarterfinal XI, replacing veteran midfielder Rodrigo De Paul with the more youthful exuberance of Atletico Madrid's Giuliano Simeone.

Weight of history

Somewhat incredibly, there is no historical precedent to call upon as it relates to Lionel Messi playing against England. The Argentine magician will face the Three Lions for the first time in his career today, though his record against English sides at club level is, predictably, spectacular.

From every other perspective, however, the match is shrouded in history.

England manager Thomas Tuchel and his players insist they're unfazed by the historical narratives that have taken up so much of the pregame discussion.

The two nations have met five previous times at the World Cup, with the infamous 1986 quarterfinal featuring Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" and his "Goal of the Century" the standout encounter; David Beckham's red card against the Albiceleste 12 years later also hangs over Wednesday's contest.

Argentina, perhaps unsurprisingly, is going in the complete opposite direction, with midfielder Alexis Mac Allister leaning into the history of the encounter and saying his team should channel the spirit of the late Maradona.

For both sides, managing the moment in Atlanta will be just as important as their tactical and technical performances.

How to watch

United States 🇺🇸

English: Fox, FS1, and the Fox One app
Spanish: Telemundo and Universo

Canada 🇨🇦

English: TSN (1/3/4/5), CTV, and Crave
French: RDS

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