Messi assist sends Argentina past England to final
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- Anthony Gordon gave England the lead early in the second half, ghosting past Nahuel Molina to head home a Morgan Rogers cross before being substituted in the 72nd minute as England shifted to a back five.
- Enzo Fernández leveled for Argentina with a long-range strike from outside the box after Alexis Mac Allister had hit the post with a header, capping a second-half turnaround engineered after the system change.
- Lionel Messi, rated 9/10 at 39 years old, floated a 92nd-minute cross perfectly onto the head of substitute Lautaro Martínez — introduced in the 81st minute — for the decisive winner.
- Thomas Tuchel was given a manager rating of 4/10, criticized for switching to a back five and replacing goalscorer Gordon with Ezri Konsa in the 72nd minute, after which Argentina took full control.
- Lionel Scaloni earned a 10/10 manager rating for his in-game adjustments, with substitutions including Rodrigo De Paul and Gonzalo Montiel directly fueling Argentina's comeback.
- The opening 45 minutes were brutally physical, producing 11 fouls in the first 24 minutes and a combined xG of just 0.08 by halftime, before the match came alive after the restart.
- Argentina will face Spain in the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, with ESPN's headline framing the result as Messi and Argentina 'stunning' England late.
Why it matters: Argentina's tactical second-half surge, triggered by England's switch to a back five, sent a 39-year-old Messi to another World Cup final and exposed Tuchel's game-management on the biggest stage, with Spain — fresh off Merino's late winner — now awaiting in Sunday's showpiece at MetLife Stadium.
