World Cup round-up: Argentina produce another late miracle to set up Spain final episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 16, 2026 · 4 MIN

World Cup round-up: Argentina produce another late miracle to set up Spain final

from Trending Middle East · host The National News

Argentina are in the World Cup final after beating England 2-1 in Atlanta, scoring twice in the final minutes in another example of the late comebacks that have defined their tournament. Anthony Gordon gave England the lead in the 55th minute, but Thomas Tuchel's decision to drop deep and protect the lead proved costly. From Gordon's goal until Argentina's equaliser, England had only 12 per cent possession. Enzo Fernandez made it 1-1 with a long-range strike in the 85th minute before Lionel Messi created the winner in stoppage time, crossing for Lautaro Martinez to head in. Argentina face Spain in Sunday's World Cup final at New York New Jersey Stadium. Kick off is 11pm in the UAE. Tuchel accepted responsibility for England's approach, saying the team were not active enough. Harry Kane acknowledged England struggled to keep the ball after scoring, repeating a pattern from previous tournaments. In Paris, police made 98 arrests following disorder after France's semi-final defeat by Spain, which coincided with Bastille Day. The third-place play-off against England will be Didier Deschamps' final match as France coach after 14 years. He won the World Cup in 2018 and has reached three consecutive semi-finals. Zinedine Zidane is widely expected to replace him. The third-place play-off is in Miami on Saturday local time, kicking off at 1am on Sunday in the UAE. Mina Rzouki presents Trending Middle East's World Cup round-up, a daily bonus series from The National for the duration of the tournament.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 16, 2026

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World Cup round-up: Argentina produce another late miracle to set up Spain final

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