NO ‘Hand of God’ this time. Argentina didn’t need it. Instead it was the hallowed feet of Lionel Messi and the unbreakable spirit of a team that has repeatedly fought back at this year’s World Cup that is now one step away from back-to-back titles. Trailing 1-0 going into the 85th minute, Argentina rallied for a 2-1 victory over England with goals from Enzo Fernandez and substitute Lautaro Martinez. “I dreamed it, I swear. I told Alexis (Mac Allister) that I was going to score. I told him that I was going to come on and I was going to win it,” Martinez said. “I can tell you this team keeps showing what it’s made of.” At the final whistle, Messi fell to his knees in celebration while England players collapsed in disbelief - again. Add 2026 to 1986 and 1998 on the list of games when Argentina have extinguished English hopes at the World Cup. The defending champions will take on European champions Spain in the final on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

 

The best that South America has to offer against the best of Europe. The loss for England will hurt a new generation of fans in a similar way to Diego Maradona’s infamous handball goal in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals and the penalty shoot-out loss in 1998 when David Beckham was sent off for kicking Diego Simeone. The difference is there can be no sense of injustice this time, even if England had victory in their sights after Anthony Gordon scored the opening goal in the 55th minute. The English were hanging on as the game wore on. England goalkeeper Jordon Pickford made vital saves while Mac Allister sent a header off the post as wave after wave of Argentina attacks came. Messi had largely been kept quiet. But when he’s on the field, anything seems possible. He fed the ball to Fernandez to sweep in the equaliser from outside the box in the 85th minute. And two minutes into stoppage-time, Messi sent in a cross for Martinez to head in the winner. “It is a show of the collectiveness, the brotherhood that we are in, the fight to the very end that we’ve got,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.