So there it is. The dagger, delivered twice in quick succession, has sent England crashing out of the World Cup at the semifinal stage while Lionel Me...
So there it is. The dagger, delivered twice in quick succession, has sent England crashing out of the World Cup at the semifinal stage while Lionel Messi books his date with Spain in the final. For Gareth Southgate's side, this one will sting for a long time. Not because they were outclassed over ninety minutes, but because they had the game exactly where they wanted it. Anthony Gordon's strike had given the Three Lions a lead that felt like it might just hold. Argentina, for all their possession and Messi's wandering brilliance, looked frustrated. They were playing into England's low block, struggling to find the space between the lines. And then the script flipped.In the space of maybe ten frantic minutes, the entire contest turned on its head. Enzo Fernandez, the Chelsea midfielder who has become the heartbeat of this Argentina side, picked up a loose ball on the edge of the box and unleashed a curling effort that kissed the post on its way in. It was the kind of goal you score when you're feeling it. England, suddenly rattled, could not reset. Their transitional play, so crisp in the first half, became ragged. Then came Lautaro Martinez, the Spurs striker who had been relatively quiet, to bury a clinical finish after another mesmeric run from Messi. Two goals. Two assists for the little magician. That is what separates the great from the immortal.Let's not sugarcoat it. England had their moments. Jude Bellingham ran himself into the ground, Declan Rice covered every blade of grass, and Gordon's goal was a lovely piece of movement. But when the heat came on, when Argentina turned the screw in that frantic second half spell, the Three Lions simply could not cope. Southgate's tactical flexibility was questioned after the game; why wait so long to bring on fresh legs Why not push for a second when they were on top These are the questions that will haunt the English press and public for months. For Argentina, however, it is all about Messi. He did not score tonight, but his vision, his weight of pass, his sheer presence on that pitch was worth the price of admission alone.The final will now see Messi go head to head with a Spain side that has been relentless. You would not write off Argentina now. Not with this man pulling the strings. They have belief, they have momentum, and they have a captain who refuses to let this dream die. For England, it is back to the drawing board. Again. They were so close, yet so far. And that, in the end, is the cruelest margin in football.
