Match report
Argentina stun England with late double at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Argentina came from behind to beat England 1-2 in the World Cup semi-final at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, overturning a second-half deficit with two goals in the closing minutes. The result ended England's unbeaten run in the tournament and sent Lionel Scaloni's side through to the final.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
England had gone ahead on 55 minutes when Anthony Gordon converted a Morgan Rogers assist to put the hosts in front. The lead held until deep into the second half, with Argentina struggling to make their possession count until Enzo Fernández levelled in the 85th minute, finishing off a pass from Lionel Messi. Argentina then completed the turnaround in stoppage time, Lautaro Martínez netting in the 90+2nd minute from another Messi assist to seal it.
Argentina dominated territorially throughout, holding 64 percent of possession and outshooting England 15 to 5, with five shots on target to England's two. Their expected goals figure of 1.84 against England's 0.53 reflected the gulf in created chances, even though it was England who struck first.
Messi supplied the assists for both of Argentina's late goals, setting up Fernández's equaliser and then Martínez's winner to finish with a rating of 8.0.
Argentina's dominance was underlined by a 64 percent share of possession against England's 36.
Argentina won 2–1 away against England (half-time 0–0).
England met Argentina in the World Cup (Semi-finals). Kick-off was Wednesday, 15 July 2026, 19:00 UTC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Referee: Ismail Elfath.
Key moments
- 55' Goal: Anthony Gordon (assist: Morgan Rogers) — 1–0 · Watch Anthony Gordon's goal video (55')
- 85' Goal: Enzo Fernández (assist: Lionel Messi) — 1–1 · Watch Enzo Fernández's goal video (85')
- 90' Goal: Lautaro Martínez (assist: Lionel Messi) — 1–2 · Watch Lautaro Martínez's goal video (90')
Starting line-ups
England (4-2-3-1)
Argentina (4-1-4-1)
What the press said
🚨🚨 ARGENTINA BEAT ENGLAND AND FLY TO WORLD CUP FINAL! 🇦🇷🇦🇷 https://t.co/H9nU5pMjvc
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FT: England 1 Argentina 2. Lautaro Martínez heads Argentina into the World Cup Final. Two late goals from Lionel Scaloni's side set up a game against Spain on July 19. Enzo Fernandez equalised with five minutes left with a brilliant strike from distance from Lionel Messi's assist. Messi then crossed for Martinez to win it. England took the lead through Anthony Gordon's deft finish from Morgan Rogers' quality cross. And Djed Spence and John Stones defended staunchly as England tried to protect a narrow lead. But England went into their shell when ahead, and Thomas Tuchel's changes only invited further pressure. In the end, Argentina able to pick off England with the players dropping deeper and deeper. All credit to them for fighting back again. Strong reaction when behind, but England got their tactics wrong in the final half-an-hour of the game. Another late win for Argentina, who will now have the chance to defend their World Cup title.🏴🇦🇷
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England 1 Argentina 2. Lautaro Martínez with an injury time header from Lionel Messi's cross just moments after Alexis Mac Allister hits the post.🇦🇷 https://t.co/BrPdwbIcWw
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Hard to see it now, but England is living a golden era and learning to compete on the hardest of games Today they needed more bravery, this word Tuchel has used so often, from the manager Protecting a lead so early should be put down to Tuchel But they are so close. Maybe it wasn't all down to Southgate after all! (It isn't), There is a lack of controlling midfielders (or lack of trust in them) By the way, this confidence pre game came from a wrong reading of what Argentina is about. That should be another lesson for the future
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About this match
On this page: the England vs Argentina final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this World Cup fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
- Watch Anthony Gordon's goal against Argentina (55').
- Watch Enzo Fernández's goal against England (85').
- Watch Lautaro Martínez's goal against England (90').
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from England 1–2 Argentina. Explore more on the England and Argentina team pages or the World Cup page.
Quick answers
›What was the final score of England vs Argentina?
Argentina won 2–1 away against England (half-time 0–0).
›Who scored in England vs Argentina?
Anthony Gordon (55') for England; Enzo Fernández (85') for Argentina; Lautaro Martínez (90') for Argentina.
›Where can I watch England vs Argentina highlights?
Goal highlights and video clips from England 1–2 Argentina are on this page — open the videos tab to watch every goal.