New Delhi: Emotions ran high as Argentina booked their place FIFA World Cup The 2026 final is a 2-1 win over England in the semifinal at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday. Lionel Messi he did not add to his leading goalscoring record, but the 39-year-old stepped up to score late on as Argentina overcame a one-goal lead to open the contest against Spain.After the win, Messi paid tribute to the Argentine legend Diego Maradona.Speaking to TyC Sports, Messi paid tribute to Maradona, who inspired Argentina to defeat England 40 years ago.“Undoubtedly, Diego is very happy with this from there because today was a very special day for him; to be able to give him this joy and to feel the way he wants from there. Let him be happy because it’s a gift for him too,” Messi said.The win came exactly four decades after Maradona scored one of the greatest goals in World Cup history against England in the 1986 quarter-final, scoring the famous “Hand of God” and “Goal of the Century”.Forty years later, Messi added another memorable title to the competition by scoring both goals in Argentina’s comeback victory.Messi also spoke about the situation before the game, saying that the situation inside the stadium was difficult to control.“During this kind of music, something special happened because we started to hear the crowd humming. People were singing it in a special way, and we held each other. Even though we knew it was a football game, sometimes it’s difficult to control your emotions. We faced it this way, and we played this way,” said Messi.For many years, Messi played under the shadow of Maradona, who led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title, including a memorable victory over England.Now, Messi has created another historic moment by inspiring Argentina to reach the World Cup final. Argentina will now face Spain in Sunday’s final, where they are aiming to become the first country since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend their FIFA World Cup.
