World Cup, Lautaro scores and sends Argetina through to the Final | OneFootball

Lautaro Martinez from Bahia Blanca. Inter's captain sprinting away with his arms outstretched before being swallowed up by the embrace of his teammates, an entire nation and the Argentine people. His 92nd-minute winner sent Argentina into the World Cup final, just when it seemed England had already booked their place against Spain in New York on Sunday.

But not this Argentina. Scaloni's Seleccion once again showed their resilience, securing a second consecutive World Cup final. In Atlanta, Lautaro started on the bench as England took the lead through Gordon in the 55th minute and began to dream of the final. Scaloni then turned to his substitutes, including the Inter captain, who came on in the 81st minute.

Argentina's relentless pressure finally paid off in the 85th minute, when Enzo Fernandez made it 1-1. Then, deep into stoppage time, Messi delivered a cross to the back post, where Lautaro arrived with perfect timing to power home a header and make it 2-1. Scenes of jubilation followed in Atlanta as Argentina sealed their place in the final. It was Lautaro's 40th goal for the Albiceleste, a milestone he has reached in just 84 international appearances. He now sits just one goal behind Sergio Aguero, third on Argentina's all-time scoring list.

Interestingly, the last official goal Argentina had scored against England came in the 1998 World Cup Round of 16, when another future Inter captain, Javier Zanetti, scored in Saint-Étienne while wearing the No. 22 shirt, the same number worn by Lautaro today.

Argentina's victory also extended a remarkable streak: since 1982, every World Cup final has featured at least one Inter player. This year's final will be no exception, with Lautaro Martinez once again carrying the Nerazzurri flag onto football's biggest stage.