Atlanta (AFP) – Argentina will play Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday after Lionel Messi orchestrated a spectacular comeback against England in a semi-final with a dramatic ending.
Issued on: 16/07/2026 - 09:26Modified: 16/07/2026 - 15:51
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Messi proved once again that at 39 he can still drag his team from a goal behind to glory -- and the 2-1 victory in Atlanta on Wednesday keeps the South Americans' bid for back-to-back titles alive.Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez scored Argentina's goals, but both were created by Messi.Messi said the match, played against the backdrop of a lingering dispute between the countries over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, was "quite a special one, especially playing against England with all the historical context".At the end, some of Argentina's players held up a banner saying "Las Malvinas son argentinas" (The Falklands are Argentine), flaunting the rules of world football governing body FIFA that ban political symbols on the field of play.Argentina invaded the islands in 1982 but Britain took them back after a brief war.British government minister Peter Kyle called on Thursday for FIFA to investigate for what he called an "egregious violation" of the rules.
