Argentina beat England 2–1, face Spain in the World Cup final

Argentina come back to beat England 2–1, reach second straight final

Argentina are through to the World Cup final. They came from behind to beat England 2–1 in Wednesday's semi-final, setting up a meeting with Spain on Sunday (1) (8). The goal that decided it came in the second half, and your team did not blink once the equaliser went in. England's collapse after the hour mark was total, they completed just two successful passes in an 18-minute stretch between the 66th and 84th minutes (Reddit). Messi hit nine dribbles, the highest single-match tally of this World Cup (Reddit).

Lautaro Martínez, Romero, and Lisandro Martínez dragged Argentina back

Lautaro Martínez scored the winner. Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez anchored the defence after a shaky first half, with Romero delivering a post-match line that will follow him for years. "The only thing I hope is that when I retire, I am not as stupid as Neville," Romero said, responding to Gary Neville's pre-match criticism (4). Enzo Fernández also came into the game strongly after the break. Jude Bellingham, by contrast, looked distraught at full-time, English media labelled the defeat "on Tuchel" for his substitutions (2) (11).

Messi: "We are the best for four years"

Lionel Messi did not hold back after the whistle. "We are the best for four years," he said, calling back-to-back finals "crazy" (6) (8). Your captain has now dragged Argentina to seven major tournament finals since 2014, with only two missed (Reddit). He also had a message for the doubters: "If we had lost against England, we knew some people would have taken the opportunity to say nonsensical stuff, and we didn't give them the chance to do that. We also knew that, when it comes to football, we are a better team than England" (Reddit).

Falkland/Malvinas banner risks FIFA punishment

After the final whistle, Argentina players unfurled a banner referencing the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, a direct political provocation that puts FIFA in a bind (1) (3). The governing body could open disciplinary proceedings ahead of Sunday's final. The same squad that beat England with a comeback on the pitch now faces scrutiny off it (3).

Spain in the final, the Finalissima that never was

The World Cup final doubles as the Finalissima that got cancelled earlier this year. Argentina were scheduled to face Spain as Copa América and European champions, but that match never happened (5). Now they meet for the real thing. Messi knows Spanish football inside out: "It's a huge national team. I played for many years the way they play. Great players I faced many times at Barça. It will be a special match, a World Cup final" (13). Marc Degryse already framed it as Messi versus Lamine Yamal, calling the symbolism "how poetic" if Messi lost to Spain's young star (7).

Brazilian fans are suffering

Brazilian supporters on social media are not handling this well. "I can't take it anymore," was the mood across posts after Argentina reached another final (12). The gap in major tournament appearances between the two South American rivals has rarely felt wider.

Fan reactions

Argentina fans are in disbelief at the era they are living through. The stat circulating most widely is the seven finals in 12 years, "they've only missed making the final twice in this time period," one Reddit post tallied, stretching back to 2014 (Reddit). Messi's defiant post-match quotes are being shared everywhere, and the Romero-Neville exchange has turned into instant folklore. See the full Romero quote thread.

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