New Delhi: England’s dream of winning their first FIFA World Cup title since 1966 ended in a familiar fashion early Wednesday as Argentina recovered from a goal down to win 2-1 and book their place in the final. Between Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute opener and Lautaro Martínez’s stoppage-time winner, England had just 12 per cent possession—the lowest by a team to be winning for at least 10 minutes in a World Cup match in the last 60 years.
Meanwhile, Argentina controlled the remaining 88 per cent, according to OptaJoe.
The numbers reflected a dramatic shift in momentum after England took the lead. Having pressed aggressively and unsettled the defending champions in the first half, they retreated deeper, allowing Argentina to dictate possession and repeatedly find Lionel Messi between the lines.
“When we went 1-0 up, we seemed to try and hold on, which at this level is not enough,” England captain Harry Kane said after the defeat. “We pressed them well. We put them under loads of pressure high up the pitch, which then allowed us to win balls and control the game a bit better. After the goal, whether it was them putting more men forward or us not being able to match them man for man, it was just wave after wave.”
Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart said Argentina sensed the change immediately.
“I didn’t see one bit of panic from that Argentina side,” Hart told BBC Sport. “I saw belief. I saw them realising they could free up the great man Lionel Messi in the pocket, and they were running all over England.”
Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez pointed to England’s tactical shift.
“We felt them going backwards and backwards rather than going forward. Sometimes when you are winning, you have to go forward anyway. You can’t change the game plan. I think they did it and they put extra defenders,” the goalkeeper said.
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Lionel Messi magic
The victory took Argentina one step closer to history. A win in the final would make them the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the World Cup title. No team has achieved the feat in the 64 years since Pele’s Brazil lifted back-to-back trophies in Sweden and Chile.
While England’s collapse will dominate the post-match debate, Argentina’s victory was also another chapter in Lionel Messi’s extraordinary final World Cup campaign. At 39, the Argentina captain enters the final as the tournament’s leading scorer and current Golden Boot leader.
Through seven matches, Messi has scored eight goals and provided four assists, while also creating 26 chances and completing 24 successful dribbles—already surpassing several of his key attacking numbers from Qatar.
For England, another semi-final exit will reopen questions about game management after surrendering a winning position on the biggest stage.
England spent decades trying to close the gap on Argentina in World Cup football. On Wednesday, after taking the lead, they spent the final 37 minutes chasing the ball instead.
Argentina is set to face Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final early Monday.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)