Messi Sets Assist Records as Argentina Stuns England 2-1 to Reach World Cup Final

Argentina scored twice in the closing minutes to stun England 2-1 in the World Cup semifinal on Wednesday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, advancing to its second consecutive World Cup final.

England broke a bruising deadlock in the 55th minute. A long ball from Harry Kane was cleared only as far as Morgan Rogers, whose cross found Anthony Gordon for the opener, his first World Cup goal. Manager Thomas Tuchel then dropped England into a low defensive block to protect the lead.

The shell broke with five minutes to play. Enzo Fernández drove a long-range strike past Jordan Pickford in the 85th minute to level the match, and two minutes into stoppage time Lionel Messi crossed for substitute Lautaro Martínez, whose header completed the comeback.

Messi Rewrites the Record Book

Messi was involved in both late goals, and the night added two more records to his career. The assist on Martínez's winner gave him the most assists in World Cup history with 11, and his 65th career assist overall, both all-time records. The goal contributions also moved him ahead of Kylian Mbappé in the Golden Boot race and took his career World Cup tally to 21 goals.

At 39 years old, Messi led Argentina's push for a second straight title, which would make them the first team in more than 60 years to win back-to-back World Cups.

A Final Denied

The first half offered little beyond tension. The teams combined for 19 fouls before the break with no shots on target from either side, and American referee Ismail Elfath showed yellow cards to England's Elliot Anderson and Argentina's Lisandro Martínez.

England's wait for a first final since its lone title in 1966 goes on. Tuchel's side instead headed to Miami for the third-place playoff against France.

Argentina advanced to face Spain in the final on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, a rematch neither side would have predicted when the tournament began.