Another Match In Atlanta, Another Argentina Comeback As World Cup Final Set Against Spain

Not An Average Rivalry Adds Another Chapter In Atlanta (Photo Courtesy/SDH Network)

"I'm lost for words. I feel a great happiness forr our country and our people. And another great happiness for this group who never stop surprising me and never know when they are beaten...

"It's very difficult for people to understand what our players have given. It is so impressive. We are unique. It's not arrogance. It is all heart."

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni hit on a couple of important themes in front of the world's microphones after a come-from-behind win for the ages in the World Cup semifinal at Atlanta Stadium.

The 2-1 win over England gives Argentina the chance at a back-to-back World Cup title. Spain awaited the answer as to who its opponent would be. The answer looked one way, until it flipped 180 degrees in eight frantic minutes.

In the opening minutes of the match, the fireworks already started between these rivals. In the first 10 minutes, there was a combination of fouls and nerves. Argentina started to get going in the 15th minute. Great combination play from Messi and Alexis Mac Allister worked through the middle third to gain some rhythm.

While Enzo Fernández was having a stellar day in the midfield offensively, he helped out early on with two defensive plays tracking back into his defensive third, half of his four defensive contributions on the afternoon.

England looked dangerous when Anthony Gordon came inside on the dribble. The benefit of that was being able to free new starter Morgan Rogers on the right. He sent in an early cross that Dibu Martínez managed well as his six-yard box became crowded.

One of the early matchups to determine any kind of advantage was where the individual attacks started. Argentina won its possessions up the middle. England looked dangerous in the wide spaces. The evenness translated into a lack of advantage from either side by the time the match hit the hydration break.

If there was any doubt about the meaning of this match, a sequence after the 36th minute reinforced the heated nature of the occasion, centered around Lionel Messi.

A diving block by Dibu Martínez on an England cross flipped possession. The ball ended up at Messi's feet. Harry Kane and Declan Rice tried to stop Messi's progress on the dribble. A backflip past Kane and a shake off of Rice, as they tried to smother Argentina's No. 10, forced a cheap foul, a hip check from Elliot Anderson. The sequence ended with center referee Ismail Elfath producing a yellow card.

But after 45 minutes, the match was similar statistically: no goals, the same number of shots on either side, a similar number of defensive actions, and neither team with any advantage in regaining possession once lost.

In the second half, the breakthrough came. Anthony Gordon got the goal after getting in behind. From that advantage in the 55th minute, England head coach Thomas Tuchel made the decision to cede possession, doing so at an alarming rate.

Twelve percent...

From the Gordon goal to an equalizer thirty minutes later, England had possession only twelve percent of the time. Within that time frame, key substitutions by Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni (González, Montiel, Otamendi, and De Paul) in an eight-minute span yielded results that England's bench was slow to answer.

Enzo Fernández got the Argentina equalizer in the 85th minute on a low shot through traffic that beat Jordan Pickford at the far post. Not to be outdone, the clock going north of 90 minutes meant another moment of persistence.

A sequence that started with hitting a second post in short order lent itself to a cross that found Lautaro Martínez at 90+2. His header sent the crowd of 68,000-plus into a frenzy of different emotional reactions.

On Sunday, it will be Spain vs. Argentina to determine the 2026 FIFA World Cup champion, and Lionel Messi personified the response of a team and a country in a moment of moments: the chance to play for a title.

"It's crazy what this group has achieved: five finals. We're coming off winning the World Cup and we've been the best team over the last four years.

"Today, we're one of the best two teams in the world and at another final..."

Let the talk of Spain's midfield and stellar defense go head-to-head against a team that will not quit and has not quit. And because Argentina has not quit, they're playing for a trophy once again in the World Cup final.

We will have all the news, notes, and reaction for you right here on the SDH Network all week and all weekend long!