Argentina captain Lionel Messi once again led from the front as he helped his team beat England 2-1 in Atlanta and reach the final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Wednesday.
As they have done before in this tournament, the Albiceleste showed grit and character to go 0-1 down against the Three Lions, then come from behind to clinch a 2-1 win in normal time.
After a goalless first half, Anthony Gordon broke the deadlock in the 55th minute as he gave England a 1-0 lead.
However, England head coach Thomas Tuchel switched to a more defensive setup, as England dropped into a back five and made substitutions aimed at protecting the lead rather than maintaining attacking threat.
Pressure gradually mounted on the Three Lions, as they conceded two goals in just seven minutes to allow Argentina to crawl right back into the game.
Enzo Fernandez equalised for Argentina in the 85th minute, before Lautaro Martinez headed the defending champions home with a 92nd-minute strike. Messi provided the assists for both goals.
Records broken by Lionel Messi in semifinal
Messi may not have found the back of the net against England on Wednesday, but he sure did break a few records thanks to his two assists.
He now has 12 assists to his name in FIFA World Cups, according to Opta, and this is the most number of assists by any player in FIFA World Cups since detailed tournament data came into existence in 1966.
No other player has registered more than eight assists at the FIFA World Cups. What's more mind-blowing is that 10 out of his 12 assists at FIFA World Cups have been in the knockout stages of the tournament.
According to Opta, apart from the two assists, Messi also made nine dribbles. This made the Inter Miami star the first-ever player to register nine dribbles and two assists in the same FIFA World Cup knockout match since the records were introduced in 1966.
The semifinal against England was also the 13th consecutive FIFA World Cup match in which Messi either scored or assisted in. This record, too, has been untouched by anyone else. This is also the second-longest run in his career, after a 14-game streak that had ended back in 2011.
The Barcelona legend also joined another elite list. When Messi steps onto the pitch in New Jersey on Sunday for the final against Spain, he will become just the second player to have done so in three FIFA World Cup finals (2014, 2022 and 2026).
Brazilian legend Cafu is the only other player to have done so, having played the 1994, 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cup summit clashes.
While Argentina will look to defend their World Cup title when they take on Spain in the final on Sunday, England will play European rivals France in the third-place playoff match in Miami on Saturday. France lost 0-2 to Spain in the first semifinal in Dallas on Tuesday.
