KEIR RADNEDGE in ATLANTA —- Leo Messi had to wait a long time for his first duel with England but it was worth the 21-year delay as Argentina’s captain and his World Cup holders struck back from a goal down to reach their second successive Final. They can now become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the greatest prize in football.

A 2-1 victory over England indoors in Atlanta in world football’s intercontinental classico propels the Albiceleste on to a showdown against European champions Spain in New Jersey on Sunday.

A tawdry first half ended goalless under the riskily lax control of American referee Ismail Elfath before the second half sprung into decisive life. Anthony Gordon opened the scoring to set England fans dreaming only for Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez to strike late and inflict a nightmare.

The inevitable, irresistible Messi provided assists for both goals.

If Argentina go on to add the 2026 World Cup to their triumphs in 1978, 1986 and 2022, they will match the four titles of Germany and Italy and edge within reach of Brazil’s five.

Late as they may have conjured their victory, Argentina deserved it.

They responded magnificently after falling behind, created clear chances and twice struck the posts. England failed to consistently command any single phase of play and created nothing apart from their goal. As in Italy in 1990 and in Russia in 2018 they are left with the bitter pill of a third place playoff, in this case against an equally distraught France.

Manager Thomas Tuchel may reflect in time that England were too hasty to retreat into defence mode to protect their 55th-minute lead. Such a strategy revived painful memories of similar revelatory statements of insecurity under predecessor Gareth Southgate.

This latest version of the Three Lions approached kickoff against Argentina leading their World Cup rubber 3-2 but that bare statistic said nothing about the passion and controversy delivered ever since the long-forgotten first meeting in 1962 [a 3-1 group win for England in Chile].

Rattin and Co

Later came the sending-off of Argentina’s giant captain Antonio Rattin in 1966,  the two dramatically contrasting goals by Diego Maradona in 1986 and the sending-off of a young David Beckham in the 1998 second-round skirmish. He had his revenge four years later in Japan, the last meeting until Atlanta.

Impossible, of course, to ignore how the 1982 war over the Falklands/Malvinas islands cast a cloud over the football. The pain still burns through the chants of Argentina’s hinchada even while out on the pitch the focus dwelt on the perceived personal duel between Messi and Jude Bellingham, the old hero against the latest young challenger.

England’s line-up was, barring the contentious selection of Morgan Rogers instead of the semi-fit Bukayo Saka, close to most pre-finals predictions while Lionel Scaloni made one change to the Argentinian team who had started the quarter-final against Switzerland, the aggressive Giuliano Simeone replacing the tiring Rodrigo De Paul.

The fans set a hot temperature by drowning out each others national anthem and Argentina’s midfielders took the hint to launch three blatant assaults into the backs of England players in the early minutes.

Referee Elfath risked storing up a lot of trouble for himself by not issuing an early yellow card in a scrappy, snappy opening phase before the hydration break. Fortunately events conspired for football to win out.

Pattern of play

The rest of the first half followed much the same pattern with the only incidents of note being a superb drive from Fernandez which flew safely over the angle of Jordan Pickford’s goal – hinting at what was to come – and yellow cards for Elliot Anderson for a foul on Messi and for Lisandro Martinez for pulling back Bellingham as he tried to escape forward in midfield.

By the start of the second half England had yet to put Emiliano Martinez under serious pressure and it was Pickford who was pressed into the first serious goalkeeping action, a sharp near-post save from the ever-awkward Fernandez.

Against the run of play England then took the lead on a breakaway in the 58th minute. Nicolas Tagliafico fluffed his clearance attempt and Rogers crossed square for Gordon to nip in front of Nahuel Molina and tap the ball home.

Pickford then protected the lead with an excellent diving save to deny newly-arrived substitute Nico Gonzalez just before the hydration break. Argentina maintained their relentless pressure immediately after the restart and came even closer to an equaliser when Alexis Mac Allister headed against a post.

England were now into full resistance mode as both coaches rang the changes to meet the challenges of the closing minutes. Pickford tipped a drive from Fernandez over the bar but was helpless a minute later when the Chelsea midfielder thumped home another rocket.

That was the 85th minute and the writing was on the Atlanta wall for England. Stoppage time saw Mac Allister hit a post again before England’s defence, despite being supposedly shored up by substitutes Ezri Konsa and Dan Burn, inexplicably allowed Lautaro Martinez a free header for the winner.

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