The Serie A curse haunting England’s recent World Cup eliminations | OneFootball

Lautaro Martinez crushed England’s World Cup dreams on Wednesday, as the Inter striker became the third Serie A star since 2018 to eliminate the Three Lions from the tournament.

Inter captain Lautaro Martinez scored a late winning goal for Argentina on Wednesday, allowing the South Americans to qualify for the World Cup Final.

Serie A stars knocking England out of World Cup

This means that, for the third consecutive time, England’s World Cup hopes have been dashed by a Serie A star.

Back in 2018, it was Mario Mandzukic who shocked the Three Lions with an extra-time goal in the semis.

Back then, the Croat was a Juventus player, and another Serie A star, Inter’s Perisic, had netted the equaliser after Kieran Trippier’s early opener.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JULY 15: Lautaro Martinez #22 of Argentina celebrates after the 2-1 win during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Semi Final match between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium on July 15, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Four years ago, it was Olivier Giroud who scored the winning goal for France against England, eliminating the Three Lions from the quarter-finals.

England will meet France in the third-place play-off at 23:00 CET tonight, while the World Cup Final between Spain and Argentina will be played tomorrow, Sunday, July 17 at 21:00 CET.