Argentina and England are not friends. They fought a short conflict over the Falkland Islands in 1982, in which 649 Argentine soldiers and 255 British combatants died. Britain ultimately won, but the question of sovereignty over the islands in the South Atlantic known to the British as the Falklands and the Argentines as the Malvinas has been a long-running sore in relations between the countries.
Argentina has claimed it inherited the islands from Spain after its independence in 1816, and that Britain took control in 1833 through an illegal colonial act. When Argentina’s military invaded the islands to forcefully reclaim them in 1982, then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher deployed a massive military task force of warships and thousands of troops to retake the archipelago.
Their hostility exploded on July 15 after the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final. Argentina players held up a political banner declaring “Las Malvinas Son Argentinas” (“The Falklands are Argentine”) after their 2-1 victory over England. That adds more salt to the wound as England’s hearts were already severely broken not because they lost, but “how they lost” the tournament in Atlanta.
In its 60-year quest to return to the summit of the sport it invented, England has endured all manner of agonizing defeats and crushing heartbreak. There have been ugly goals and uglier collapses, untimely ejections and the ritual humiliation of penalty shootouts. But there had never been cruelty quite like this – nothing like being five minutes from a World Cup final and having it suddenly, brutally snatched away.
Holding a one-goal lead over Argentina, with 85 minutes gone, and seemingly on the brink of returning to the World Cup final for the first time since 1966, England was hit by a double whammy as the defending champions scored twice to snatch a miraculous late victory. Argentina will now meet Spain in New Jersey on Sunday for the chance to become the first country to repeat as champions since Brazil in 1962.
Inevitably, it was Lionel Messi – playing against England for the first time – who conjured the knockout blow. The Argentina captain wriggled free on the right wing before producing a cross that was headed home at point-blank range by Lautaro Martínez. The breakthrough sent the wall of Argentina fans behind the goal into a frenzy, while England’s shell shocked players collapsed to the turf.
They had barely recovered from the equalizer seven minutes earlier, a curling strike from the edge of the area from Enzo Fernández that seemed to suck the self-belief from England. The Three Lions had dropped back, convinced that they could withstand anything Argentina threw at them. Instead, they broke when it mattered most, touching off delirious scenes from Atlanta to Buenos Aires.
Fernández’s strike immediately soared to the top of the list of most heartbreaking goals England had ever conceded. It joined Mikel Oyarzabal’s 86th-minute winner in the final of Euro 2024, Mario Mandzukic’s extra-time header in the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup, and any number of German penalty kicks.
“We were so close but couldn’t keep the level up after we scored,” – England head coach Thomas Tuchel said. “We couldn’t win any balls, we couldn’t keep the ball. The match changed completely.” England spent much of the afternoon on the better side. Its plan to contain Messi had worked. The first half was a physical fight – England and Argentina punched each other like Mike Tyson, without landing a body blow.
After 55 cagey minutes, the Three Lions took the lead. Harry Kane chipped a ball forward, only for it to be intercepted and land at the feet of Declan Rice. He played it wide to Morgan Rogers, whose cross was then turned in by Anthony Gordon at the far post. For one brief moment, England had silenced the raucous crowd in sky blue and white. A first appearance in the World Cup final since 1966 looked on.
The Argentine fans had been so loud since before kickoff that they entirely drowned out the playing of “God Save the King.” Now, 1-0 down with a little over half an hour to play, they willed their side back into the game, whistling mercilessly at the back of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Then, England changed strategy and responded to the breakthrough by playing defence – retreating deeper and deeper into its own territory. The attacks dried up, clearances were launched aimlessly upfield, and its hold on the game was steadily surrendered. In the final 35 minutes after England went ahead, Argentina held 88% of possession.
Still, it looked as though England’s backs-to-the-wall show of resistance might get the Three Lions over the line. In the face of a sustained bombardment, as England’s players strained to hear each other over the din, they held their nerve. Djed Spence celebrated tackles like he’d scored. Kane defended inside his own penalty area. Pickford parried every attempt in his airspace. History felt mere minutes away.
Argentina was not finished. They refused to go down without a fight. There has been a feeling during this tournament that they are beatable, and yet nobody has beaten them. There is a reason for that. Their champion courage. They dug deep into it in the closing stages to complete one of their greatest fightbacks. That it came against England, the old enemy, made it even sweeter.
Thomas Tuchel shouldered the blame for England becoming far too defensive after taking the lead as Argentina ended his team’s World Cup dream with a dramatic late comeback. The coach opted to withdraw Declan Rice and Reece James three minutes before Fernández’s equaliser as England switched to a back five – a deadly mistake.
“We decided to go to a back five because the gaps were far too open,” – said Tuchel. “Argentina played with more risk, played with more rhythm and played with the feeling maybe that they had nothing to lose anymore, which freed them up and pulled us back. Because we obviously played suddenly with a feeling that we had a lot to lose.”
When England went 1-0 up, the obvious decision was to go to mid-block in order to keep testing Argentina’s vulnerability to speed. It is known that Lionel Scaloni’s side was terrified of this, and they were doing everything possible to mitigate it. But England didn’t so much opt for a low block as a subterranean block. Worse, they allowed Argentina to camp themselves around the English box without any threat of being countered.
Argentina deserved to advance to the final against Spain on Sunday. England’s mistake was not only switching to playing a passive game after leading with just one goal. Its second mistake was not understanding Argentina enough. The team has repeatedly demonstrated how they play their best football and thrives under pressure when their backs are to the wall.
Throughout the knockout stages, Argentina players frequently found themselves trailing but demonstrated a relentless ability to shift gears. From the hard-fought 3-2 extra-time victory over Cape Verde to a grueling 3-1 victory over Switzerland in extra time, and from a frantic comeback from 2-0 down to defeat Egypt 3-2, the Argentina has just shown how to secure a dramatic 2-1 win against England by overcoming a 1-0 deficit.
Calling his players stubborn, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said – “When we’re struggling, and the opponent hesitates just a little, we smell blood and we go for it with everything we’ve got. They’re warriors. They grew up in environments where they feared nothing. They were always competing, always expecting to be the best. They never give up on a single ball. They fight until the very end.”
Before the equalizer, Argentina had hit the post twice, but both times the ball stayed out. It was enough to give England a glimmer of hope that 60 years of evil luck might finally be turning. Instead, it was merely a prologue to the most familiar feeling in the long, tortured, and endlessly repeating history of English soccer. They simply didn’t do enough when it mattered the most against Argentina.
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July 16th, 2026 by financetwitter
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