England had their World Cup hopes end in a heartbreaking way after losing to Argentina in the semi-final.
2 min read
- Anthony Gordon scored first for England from a cross by Morgan Rogers in the 55th minute
- Jordan Pickford saved a header from Nico Gonzalez, and Alexis Mac Allister hit the post twice
- Argentina came back strongly with two late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez
- England will play France in the third-place match on Saturday (22:00 BST), and Spain will face Argentina in the final on Sunday
England’s World Cup dreams came to an end as Argentina scored two goals in the final minutes to win a thrilling semi-final in Atlanta.
Thomas Tuchel’s team looked like they were heading to England’s first men’s World Cup final since 1966 when Anthony Gordon put them ahead after 55 minutes in a passionate game.
But Argentina, who were full of energy, turned the game around with Enzo Fernandez equalizing with five minutes left, and then Lautaro Martinez scored a stoppage-time winner from a cross by Lionel Messi.
England will now face France in the third-place play-off, while Argentina will try to win their second World Cup title against Spain on Sunday.
The game had a very intense atmosphere inside and outside the Atlanta Stadium, with 19 fouls in the first half.
American referee Ismail Elfath had a tough time keeping control.
Fernandez almost made it count with a long-range shot that missed the target, but England took the lead when Morgan Rogers made a great cross for Gordon to score from the far post.
Argentina responded quickly, and Jordan Pickford saved a header from Nico Gonzalez.
England were then under a lot of pressure, with Alexis Mac Allister hitting the post again.
Argentina finally equalized five minutes from the end, beating Pickford with a 25-yard shot.
Tuchel had set up England to defend with four central defenders, but Argentina’s momentum was unstoppable.Mac Allister hit the woodwork again before England finally collapsed in the 92nd minute as Martinez scored the winner to end a dramatic semi-final.
