No team has lived on the edge in a World Cup knockout round more than Argentina.
The defending champions have pulled off miracle after miracle in the past two weeks.
Their latest dramatic comeback came on Wednesday, July 15, as Argentina ripped the nets twice over a six-minute, 34-second span to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win over England in the semifinals. The South American champions will Spain in the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on Sunday, July 19.
The Argentines’ not-so-secret weapon?
Lionel Messi, who at the “ancient” age of 39, still can help his team produce those miracles.
As incredible a goalscorer as Messi is, he could be a more dangerous playmaker. He might not necessarily be the same player as he was in his prime and perhaps a half a step slower at the international level. But his soccer IQ is over the top.
Messi has scored a World Cup career-record 21 goals and also tops the assists list at 12.
Argentina cruised through to the Group J title, with a 3-0-0 mark while outscoring the opposition, 8-1. The results included a 3-0 triumph over Algeria, a 2-0 win over Austria, and a 3-1 victory over Jordan.
No one could have predicted how precarious life would be for the Argentines the rest of the way.
During the knockout round, they have scored nine goals from the 79th minute on. That includes extra-time goals.
Here is a quick look, in chronological order, on how La Albiceleste has pulled some rather improbable victories:
Argentina 3, Cape Verde 2, Round of 32, Miami Gardens, Fla., July 3
Few soccer observers gave the World Cup debutantes and upstarts much of a chance against the South Americans, but they made their foes sweat.
Messi lifted the Argentines into the lead in the 29th minute, as he scored in his World Cup record ninth consecutive match. However, Deroy Duarte equalized in the 59th minute for the Western African side.
The teams battled into extra time, as Lisandro Martínez boosted Argentina into the lead in the 92nd minute. Cape Verde, however, had other ideas, knotting things up on a Sidny Lopes Cabral score in the 103rd minute.
The South American champions were spared the possibility of having the game decided in a penalty-kick shootout. A shot defender off Blue Sharks center back into the net to give the Argentines the win.
“We knew it was going to be a very tough match; this team hadn’t lost to Spain and Uruguay for a reason. We did the hardest part, which was finding the first goal,” Messi said. “We thought that from then on, we would start to find our game and be more relaxed, but it was the complete opposite. We lost the ball, we sat back, we couldn’t pressure them well, and they struck with their strengths. We knew it was going to be difficult; this is a knockout tournament, and nobody gives you anything for free.”
Argentina 3, Egypt 2, Round of 16, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga. July 7
Messi and company chased the game for 64 minutes before rallying for an incredible comeback.
The Egyptians enjoyed a two-goal advantage late in the match on goals by Yasser Ibrahim (15th minute) and Mostafa Ziko (67th minute). That deficit forced a desperate Argentina side to push up.
It worked; Cristian Romero cut the lead in half in the 79th minute, and Messi struck for the tying score four minutes later. That left it up to Enzo Fernandez to score two minutes into added time to pull out the win.
“We have a phenomenal group, a group that never gives up no matter the difficulties and adversity. We’re always together,” Fernandez said, according to the Associated Press.
The Argentines were aided by a controversial call made by the Video Assistant Referee. Ziko scored breakaway goal that would have given the Egyptians a 2-0 lead in the 58th minute. However, it was disallowed after a VAR check determined that midfielder Marawan Attia fouled Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez before the goal.
Argentina 3, Switzerland 1, quarterfinals, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo., July 11
More late-game drama by La Albiceleste.
Mac Allister gave the South Americans a 10th-minute lead, but the Swiss leveled the match on Dan Ndoye’s goal in the 67th minute.
Switzerland went down to 10 men when forward Breel Embolo received his second yellow card of the game for a simulation in the 72nd minute. The Swiss, who played the final 48 minutes a man down, decided to try to survive extra time and reach the shootout. That strategy almost worked.
Julian Alvarez connected for the game-winner in the 112th minute, and Lautaro Martinez made sure of the result by finding the net a minute into injury time in the second extra time.
“We knew that we were going to suffer, and this is part of our blood, this is part of our DNA, and this brings peace of mind,” Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni said.
Argentina 2, England 1, semifinals, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga. July 15
Facing a one-goal deficit late in the encounter, the South Americans showed great resilience again during a six-minute, 34-second span.
Anthony Gordon put England into the lead, scoring his first World Cup goal in the 55th minute. Morgan Rogers sent in a precise right-wing cross that all Gordon had to do was stick his foot out and put it away from five yards past goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
The Argentines took it to another gear and applied pressure on the English net. In the 70th minute, England manager Thomas Tuchel decided to go with a more defensive set-up, and it backfired.
First, Fernandez drilled home a 20-yard equalizer in the 85th minute.
Not surprisingly, Messi had a hand, or should we say a foot, in the game-winner two minutes into stoppage time. Mac Allister started the scoring sequence by hitting the post. The ball eventually came to the Inter Miami CF forward. Messi’s right-wing cross was headed into the net by second-half substitute Lautaro Martinez from three yards past goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
“I dreamed it, I swear. I told Alexis that I was going to score. I told him that I was going to come on and I was going to win it,” Martinez said. “I can tell you this team keeps showing what it’s made of.”
Michael Lewis, the sixth recipient of the Clay Berling Media Career of Excellence Award in 2025, can be followed on X an Bluesky at @Soccerwriter. His 10th soccer book, Around the World Cup in 40 Years: An American sportswriter’s perspective, has been published.
