England vs Argentina Player Ratings

England 1-2 Argentina Player Ratings: Lionel Messi 9.0/10 Orchestrates Argentina's Stunning Late Comeback to Eliminate England in Historic Semi-Final

Mohit Tomar

Modified - Jul 15, 2026, 09:07 PM

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Summary

Argentina reached the 2026 World Cup final with a stunning 2-1 semi-final comeback victory over England at Atlanta Stadium. Fernandez's dramatic 85th-minute equaliser and Lautaro's clinical 90+2nd-minute winner overturned Gordon's 55th-minute opener in the most historically significant and emotionally charged late collapse England's World Cup campaign has ever suffered.
England's performance across 84 commanding minutes, Gordon's composed opener, Bellingham's creative authority, and Tuchel's disciplined pressing system restricting Messi to limited first-half influence confirmed that Tuchel's side were the better team for the vast majority of a contest that Argentina's individual brilliance and collective experience ultimately and devastatingly turned in the tournament's most dramatic five-minute sequence.
Lionel Messi was the outstanding performer at 9.0/10; his relentless second-half creative orchestration, perfectly weighted through-ball creating Lautaro's winning finish, and complete inspirational authority across 90 minutes were the defining reasons Argentina's most historically significant World Cup comeback since 1986 was ultimately and decisively achieved on the grandest and most emotionally charged stage of the entire tournament.

Atlanta Stadium hosted one of the most emotionally charged and historically significant World Cup semi-finals in the modern era, England versus the Argentina national football team, the fixture that produced Maradona's Hand of God in 1986 and Beckham's red card in 1998, delivering another defining chapter as Fernandez's 85th-minute equaliser and Lautaro's devastating 90+2nd-minute winner completed the most dramatic and historically resonant late collapse of England's entire 2026 campaign.

The England national football team had controlled large portions of the contest with the collective confidence of a side that had eliminated Mexico at the Azteca and survived Panama's organised pressure, Gordon's composed 55th-minute finish from Bellingham's precise delivery giving Tuchel's side the lead their aggressive pressing and organised defensive structure throughout had thoroughly and comprehensively earned.

Fernandez's stunning 85th-minute equaliser, a composed right-footed effort from 22 yards that deflected sharply off Stones and left Jordan Pickford completely helpless, transformed the contest in the most dramatic and crushing fashion, Messi's persistent and relentless creative pressure throughout the entire second half having systematically created the space and attacking momentum that ultimately proved the decisive difference between the two sides.

Lautaro Martinez's devastating 90+2nd-minute winner, Messi's perfectly weighted through-ball splitting England's defensive line before the Inter Milan striker calmly slotted past Pickford's outstretched dive, confirmed Argentina's place in Sunday's final against Spain and delivered the single most historically charged and emotionally consequential result of the entire 2026 FIFA World Cup, the defending champions completing their most celebrated and dramatic semi-final comeback in 40 years. Check out the England vs Argentina player ratings.

England National Football Team Player Ratings vs Argentina

Here are the England national football team player ratings from the England vs Argentina Player Ratings.

Player Name	Ratings
Jordan Pickford	5.8
Djed Spence	7.0
Marc Guéhi	6.2
John Stones	6.2
Reece James	7.2
Elliot Anderson	6.8
Declan Rice	7.8
Anthony Gordon	6.9
Jude Bellingham	6.3
Morgan Rogers	7.0
Harry Kane	6.2

England National Football Team Player Ratings vs Argentina

Argentina National Football Team Player Ratings vs England

Have a look at the Argentina national football team player ratings from the England vs Argentina Player Ratings.

Player Name	Ratings
Emiliano Martínez	6.8
Nicolás Tagliafico	7.0
Lisandro Martínez	6.5
Cristian Romero	8.0
Nahuel Molina	6.8
Enzo Fernández	8.2
Alexis Mac Allister	7.0
Leandro Paredes	7.3
Giuliano Simeone	6.7
Julián Álvarez	7.5
Lionel Messi	9.0

Argentina National Football Team Player Ratings vs England

Man of the Match

Sportsdunia's Man of the Match goes to Lionel Messi.

Worst Performer

Jordan Pickford was the worst performer.