Lightning has struck twice in England. As measured by the dream of the first World Cup final in foreign countries, the top team in the final game is Lionel Messi Argentina pulled the trigger to keep Argentina away from the brink of defeat to secure a stunning 2-1 victory at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday night.Trailing 1-0 with just five minutes of normal time, La Albiceleste looked like a shadow of the side that conquered the world in Qatar. However, when their crown fell, Lionel Messi stood tall. The prolific striker registered two assists in a devastating seven minutes, which saw a 92nd-minute winner from substitute Lautaro MartÃnez and an 85th-minute wonder from Enzo Fernandez send the South American army in Atlanta into a frenzy.The game lived up to its billing as one of the most dangerous games in the world, long before goalkeeper Ismail Elfath blew his first whistle. The tense atmosphere saw both groups of fans trying to stop the opposition’s national anthem, the energy of which quickly overflowed. A tense first half was constantly punctuated by controversy, with Leandro Paredes flying past Jude Bellingham early on, and Enzo Fernández repeating a powerful assist on Elliot Anderson.With neither side setting the pace, a barren first half ended goalless. But tactical chess came to life after this period. Morgan Rogers curled in a superb cross from the right to the back in the 55th minute, while Anthony Gordon headed past Cuti Romero to put Emi MartÃnez ahead.Faced with a deficit, Thomas Tuchel’s England chose to retreat, moving to a low defensive position. They were forced to be very emotional. A stunning finger save from Pickford to deny substitute Nico González, before Alexis MacAllister hit the post with a header.Then came the inevitable heartbreak. In the 85th minute, a small move saw Messi lay the ball to Enzo Fernández, who unleashed a furious strike that found its way into the far corner of the net.With England shaky and disorganized, Argentina hit the killer two minutes into stoppage time. Messi found space on the sideline, and moved the ball onto his right foot to deliver an unmarked cross. Lautaro MartÃnez anticipates the plane perfectly, skipping between John Stones and Reece James to set up a header from five yards.At the final whistle, the ever-present Messi fell to his knees in celebration. Argentina are now one match away from matching Italy’s 1934-1938 and Brazil’s 1958-1962 history of back-to-back World Cup wins. Standing in their way is Spain in East Rutherford on Sunday, a fitting finale to the biggest tournament.
