Messi masterclass sends Argentina to World Cup final as England's dreams crushed

Lionel Messi wrote another chapter in his legendary career on Tuesday night, dragging Argentina past England and into the World Cup final with a mesmerising second-half display that left Thomas Tuchel's side shell-shocked. At 39, the captain showed he still owns the biggest stage, emerging from a quiet first half to completely take over after Anthony Gordon had given England the lead in the 55th minute. Moving to the right wing, Messi destroyed the Three Lions with a performance that will be remembered for generations. He completed nine dribbles, created four chances, delivered nine crosses and, most crucially, set up both Argentina goals. The first came from a corner in the 85th minute, finding Enzo Fernandez who slammed home from outside the box. Then deep into stoppage time, Messi floated a cross for Lautaro Martinez to head the winner. Argentina will now face Spain in Sunday's final in New Jersey. It will be the country's second consecutive World Cup final and Messi's third personal appearance in the title match. "He's the best player in history, I don't know what else he would have to do to prove that. The majority of Spaniards love him," said Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni. Former England defender Micah Richards added: "They have the GOAT. The greatest of all time. We thought it could have been Jude Bellingham or Harry Kane, but this is why he is the king." Emiliano Martinez pointed to the tactical switch that unlocked the game. "Getting Messi on the wing was the key for us," the goalkeeper said. Messi, who now has eight goals at the 2026 tournament — level with Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot — also leads the assist charts with four, one behind France's Michael Olise. France play England in Saturday's third-place play-off. England captain Harry Kane, who along with Jude Bellingham sits on six goals, admitted: "For large parts of the game we dealt with him really well, but as always with the most dangerous players in the world when they have the ball they can create something. He's one of the best players ever for a reason." This summer Messi became the all-time leading World Cup scorer with 21 goals, 15 of which have come since his 35th birthday. He now has 125 goals for Argentina in total. Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart summed up England's plight: "What they did was free up Lionel Messi, who had the skeleton key — he absolutely ran the show for the last 15 minutes."