Argentina delivered two late goals to beat England and earn a spot in back-to-back World Cup finals in a deafeningly loud Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Lionel Messi’s squad defeated the Three Lions in the World Cup semifinal by a score of 2–1, denying England its first World Cup final in 60 years.
The semifinal reignited a highly contentious rivalry both on and off the pitch.
English and Argentine supporters showed up in droves to Atlanta, forming a sell-out crowd of 68,239 people. The indoor stadium formed an echo chamber of songs, chants, cheers, and drums.
As their supporters bellowed out cheers, the first half was remarkably quiet on the pitch, with 19 fouls but only one shot on target, which came from England. In the 55th minute, Anthony Gordon gave the Three Lions the lead with his first goal of the World Cup.
As Argentina did in every other knockout match this tournament, the defending champions finally pulled through at the very end. Enzo Fernández found the back of the goal in the 85th minute, then Lautaro Martínez scored again in the second minute of stoppage time.
The building erupted after each goal as Argentine fans jumped, sang, and waived their jerseys over their heads. They moved in unison, flicking their hands forward to the beat, forming a giant wave of blue and white.
Despite not scoring, Messi who was still named the man of the match, and fans and players alike lowered their arms to bow down to him during post-match celebrations.