There was one of the most dramatic Argentina vs England encounters in the FIFA World Cup. First of all, the semi was one done in the style of the first and had exactly the ambience you’d have inside the stadium as well as up there. Both sides had a spirited contest on show, starting at the initial whistle and engaged in a mid-offside struggle from start to end with lots of challenges thrown… American referee Ismail Elfath was frequently having to jerry-fingal with his whistle as emotions bubbled over. Possession was with Argentina in the first half as England were disciplined and organised behind them. Clear-cut opportunities were sparse as both sides played for no mistakes in what was such a ticking time bomb – Enzo Fernandez was closest to log points before halftime with a grand deathership from a distance, but it just missed.

But the England breakthrough was not far in the making soon after the breaktime, however, via an outstanding team move. Thomas Tuchel’s faith was rewarded when Morgan Rogers delivered a cross from the wing which was weighted accurately for Anthony Gordon to eat up the Argentine goalkeeper to create a clear chance. The goal helped England fans erupt into wild celebrations for a little while, before the ball slipped back into Pardew’s court again. At that point, England looked settled; happily restricting Argentina’s attack yet at the same time seeming capable of capitalizing on their possession with speedy counterattacks. The all-round excellent Jordan Pickford also found the task easier than normal by making a marvellous reflex save to mount a defence against Nico Gonzalez to keep England’s key advantage.

But it was not only the brilliance of Argentina that led to the turning point, it was also the growing cautiousness of England. Over the next 12 months, Tuchel gradually transformed his squad into a much more conservative outfit that would rarely depart from its current position. It was England’s wish to defend the advantage, as demonstrated by the introduction of goal scoring partner Gordon, who was to be laced up with the new Ezri Konsa. Substitutions over the remainder of the first half followed that up, such as Dan Burn taking over from Joe McGovern after 35 minutes. England were pushed into their own box and were relentlessly hounded by an Argentina team that always play best when in possession of the ball. Tuchel had hoped that his extra defence would hold on to that second team-marking benefit but that was not the case in the closing minutes.

As England lower themselves to defence, Messi gradually stepped up his game. As was the case during most of the game, the Argentinean captain remained relatively silent, but came up with the punch-line when his team required it most. The match was even five minutes into the last minute when Enzo Fernandez found Messi in good space out with him and the midfielder hit a wonderful header to make it even. The equaliser completely turned the tide, added to Argentina’s confidence and it did not look so bad when England were panicked. Argentina were on the case to find a winner, and a few seconds later Alexis Mac Allister hit the post for a second time in the game.

Last, the crucial moment came, deep in Stoppage Time. Messi picked the ball up on the right and once again had a quality moment, putting down just a well timed cross into the area. It was an incredible turnaround as Lautaro Martinez lifted the ball over Pickford, for only to captain Argentina into the World Cup final. Marshaled to the ground England’s men couldn’t believe it, they knew it was slipping away with the seconds counting in the second half as they were running the ball.

The loss will be a bitter pill for England to swallow. The national team, under previous managers such as Gareth Southgate, often lost control of big games when it saw big opportunities to close, far bigger than what they accomplished against Wales. This was the same as the semi-final; defending played with caution when attacking was needed. The scheme of the back line failed and soon he gave possession and the initiative to Argentina who came on relentlessly particle after particle till the English defence eventually broke down. England just couldn’t take with them in the closing moments as Gordon, Pickford and Rogers delivered solid results.

Lionel Messi’s nuevamente watched Argentina win absolute control, as the star’s impressive impact continues. At 39, he is still the biggest matches’ benchmark with episodes of incomparable quality. The two assists he delivered were vital in ensuring Argentina’s other famous comeback and pushing them just one victory behind the running of successfully holding the FIFA World Cup. The king of heroes and South America’s crop of superstars will now have their final nail in Spain’s coffin, when Messi faces rising star Lamine Yamal in what will be a memorable conclusion, as one of football’s old guard and his younger players battle it out. England will now have to snap out of it before the outing against France in the game for third place, where they’ve missed a long string of World Cup appearances.

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