Argentina’s Mindset Heading into the World Cup Final | OneFootball

For long stretches at Atlanta Stadium, it looked like England were finally going to end six decades of World Cup heartbreak. Anthony Gordon fired the Three Lions ahead in the 55th minute, latching onto a cutback from Morgan Rogers, and for half an hour Thomas Tuchel’s side controlled the biggest game of their careers.

Then Lionel Messi happened. Again.

With Argentina staring down elimination, the 39-year-old (playing what is widely expected to be his last World Cup) took over. In the 85th minute he slid a pass to Enzo Fernández, who bent a stunning strike into the net from distance. Seven minutes into stoppage time, Messi did it again, whipping in a cross from his weaker right foot that Lautaro Martínez powered home with a header to complete the turnaround, 2-1.

It’s a pattern this Argentina team has repeated all tournament: fall behind, dig in, and find late, brutal answers. They now advance to a second straight World Cup final, a feat no nation has managed since Brazil in 1958-1962, and Messi will become just the second man ever, after Brazil’s Cafú, to appear in three World Cup finals.

What players and coaches had to say

Lionel Scaloni, Argentina’s head coach, was emotional afterward, admitting the win had left him searching for words. He praised the character of his squad, saying the group simply doesn’t know when it’s beaten, and insisted that what his players have shown this tournament is something people will struggle to fully appreciate. He called the team “unique,” stressing that it wasn’t arrogance: just heart.

Lionel Messi pointed to what the win meant for Argentina’s fans back home and the traveling support in Atlanta, saying the victory carried extra weight given the history and stakes of facing England in a World Cup semifinal. He said the team went out and played with real determination, pinning England back and proving they could win it in normal time.

On England’s side, the mood was somber. Harry Kane admitted he was gutted by the result, and Thomas Tuchel said afterward he had no regrets about his tactical approach, even as pundits like Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney debated whether his team went too defensive too early after taking the lead. England’s wait for a first World Cup final since 1966 goes on.

There was also a moment of levity: asked about facing Spain in the final, Scaloni (who lives in Spain and has Spanish family) joked that he’d still be trying his best to beat them on Sunday, while praising Spain’s quality and the respect they’ve earned this tournament.

The final nobody was quite sure would happen is here anyway: the reigning World Cup champions against the reigning European champions, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, kicking off at 3:00 p.m. ET in front of roughly 82,000 fans.

The stakes

Argentina are chasing something only Brazil and Italy have ever done: winning back-to-back World Cups. Spain, meanwhile, are chasing their second title overall and first since 2010, when Andrés Iniesta’s extra-time goal beat the Netherlands in South Africa.

The storylines

• Messi’s Spanish farewell. After 21 years built at Barcelona’s La Masia academy, Messi now has to get through a Spanish team to win one more World Cup before, most expect, stepping away from international football for good.

• Old guard vs. new. Spain’s 19-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal, seen by many as football’s heir apparent to Messi, will share a pitch with him for the first time in a competitive fixture.

• Contrasting roads to the final. Argentina scraped through the tournament the hard way — dramatic, late, occasionally chaotic wins, including the England comeback. Spain has been the tournament’s most complete side, conceding just once across the entire knockout stage after shutting out France 2-0 in their semifinal.

• Spain’s attack. Mikel Oyarzabal leads Spain’s scoring this tournament, while Pedro Porro and a returning Nico Williams add attacking depth behind the Yamal-led frontline.

What’s being said ahead of kickoff

Scaloni has already set the tone for the build-up. He told reporters that facing Spain “is personal” given his own ties to the country, but making clear Argentina intend to “leave it all out there” regardless of the opponent.

He’s also argued that this Argentina squad’s semifinal performance against England may be the best his group has produced, surpassing even their run through Egypt earlier in the tournament.

Analysts covering the buildup have broadly cast Spain as favorites based on current form, pointing to their defensive record and the fluidity of their build-up play. However, they caution that a motivated Messi in a World Cup final is never something to write off. This sentiment is echoed across previews from nearly every spectrum, from Yahoo Sports to Al Jazeera, and even FOX Sports.

Expect a tighter, more tactical contest than Argentina’s chaotic semifinal, with both sides carrying more than enough individual quality to decide it with a single moment of brilliance.