Argentina beats England 2-1, the World Cup final is set

Argentina is back in the World Cup final. A 2-1 win over England on Wednesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta came the way most of this Argentina run has come, close, nervy, and settled in the final minutes. (NPR)

How it happened

Neither side managed a shot on target in a cagey first half. England broke through in the 55th minute when Anthony Gordon tapped in a cross to make it 1-0, and that lead held for half an hour while Argentina pressed without much to show for it. (NPR)

Then came the finish Argentina needed. In the 85th minute, midfielder Enzo Fernandez struck from outside the box to level it at 1-1. In stoppage time, Lionel Messi, 39 years old and still doing this, whipped in a cross that forward Lautaro Martinez headed past the England keeper to make it 2-1 and send the Argentine end of the stadium into delirium. (ESPN)

It is the fourth straight knockout game Argentina has needed a late escape to survive, extra time against Cape Verde, a comeback from 2-0 down against Egypt, extra time again against ten-man Switzerland in the quarterfinal, and now this. Whatever else is true about this squad, it does not go quietly.

What is next

Argentina plays Spain in Sunday's final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Spain beat France 2-0 on Tuesday to reach its first final since 2010. Argentina is chasing back-to-back titles, something no country has done since Brazil in 1962. England's wait for a second World Cup, now six decades old, goes at least one more tournament.

My take

England did most things right for 55 minutes and had a real chance to close this out once Gordon put them ahead. But Argentina has made a habit of this exact scenario all tournament, conceding control for long stretches and then finding one or two moments late that decide the game. Fernandez's strike was the equalizer they needed, and Messi setting up Martinez in stoppage time is about as fitting an ending as this run could have had. Spain looked the more complete team on Tuesday, so Sunday should be closer than a lot of people expect.

For how Spain got here, see Tuesday's recap, and for the full Semifinal Sunday preview, see this earlier post. You can find everything this studio builds at jcmobileappstudio.com/apps.