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Good morning, I'm Dan Gartland. I'm really hoping the wildfire smoke hanging over the northeast clears up before Sunday's World Cup final.
In today's SI:AM:
🇦🇷 Argentina does it once more
🏴 Tuchel isn't the one to blame
🐐 A storybook ending for Messi
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Another World Cup classic
Good grief, they've gone and done it again.
Argentina, having already orchestrated three comeback victories in the knockout rounds of this World Cup, pulled off yet another nerve-shredding win over England in yesterday's semifinal to advance to its second consecutive World Cup final.
The match got off to a feisty start, with a first half packed with post-whistle confrontations that resembled a hockey brawl more than a soccer match, but the mood shifted after Anthony Gordon broke the deadlock in the 55th minute. Suddenly, the English side that had been pressing relentlessly in the opening stages appeared happy to drop deep and let Argentina control the ball. England held firm for a spell, but Argentina eventually broke through with an equalizer in the 85th minute before netting the winner in the second minute of stoppage time.
Much of the post-match discussion has centered on England manager Thomas Tuchel and his choice to withdraw attacking players in exchange for additional defensive cover as the second half progressed. Argentina's comeback was made possible because England surrendered possession and handed Argentina chance after chance. In the 37 minutes between Gordon's opener and Lautaro Martínez's winner, Argentina held 88% of the ball. A breakthrough was always going to come with the game tilted so heavily in one direction.
But as Grey Whitebloom argues, Tuchel shouldn't shoulder as much of the criticism as he has been. The German coach's first substitution came in the 72nd minute, when he withdrew Gordon (an attacking midfielder) and introduced Ezri Konsa (a defender). But the change was less about the manager attempting to alter the tactics and more about aligning his personnel with the style of play the team had already adopted. In the 17 minutes between Gordon's goal and the first substitution, England had managed just 17% possession. The players already on the pitch had collectively decided to sit deep and protect the lead. Tuchel was simply adjusting to give his side the best chance of holding on with the approach his players had chosen. Tuchel makes for an easy scapegoat, but the English players themselves deserve a significant share of the blame for going into their shells when the game was far from decided.
Tuchel made two further substitutions 10 minutes after Gordon's withdrawal, introducing Nico O'Reilly (a fullback) and Dan Burn (a towering 6'7" center back). If the Konsa substitution was England parking the bus, the later changes were them wedging it firmly in place. But then Argentina found the spare keys under the mat and drove the bus away entirely.
Enzo Fernández struck first with a thunderous effort from outside the area, assisted by Lionel Messi. The pass from Messi was relatively straightforward, but it was Harry Kane's decision to abandon Fernández and double up on Messi that opened the door for the goal. That's the kind of influence Messi has on a match. Opposing defenses can opt to neutralize him, but only at the cost of leaving his teammates with room to operate.
The second goal was pure Messi magic. After a shot from Argentina's Alexis Mac Allister rattled the post, Messi gathered the rebound and delivered a pinpoint cross to the far post, where Martínez headed it home with authority. The assist is all the more remarkable given that it came off Messi's right foot rather than his favored left.
It won't offer England much comfort, but they're at least not alone in the group of teams who have been on the receiving end of an Argentina comeback. The defending champions have been outscored 5–2 in the first 75 minutes of their four knockout stage matches, yet hold a commanding 9–1 advantage from that point on (including the two matches that went to extra time).
Argentina hasn't been flawless in this World Cup, but they weren't in 2022 either. It's easy to forget that Argentina began that tournament with a shock defeat to Saudi Arabia and then found themselves on the wrong end of a dramatic comeback in the quarterfinals, when the Netherlands scored two late goals to force extra time before Argentina prevailed on penalties.
But unlike England, Argentina plays with a boldness that means no match is finished until the final whistle. Part of that stems from having Messi, who, even at 39, remains capable of flipping a game on its head. More importantly, having a player of Messi's stature—a true legend of the sport, idolized by his teammates—instills belief throughout the squad. Now, thanks to him, they stand just one victory away from an extraordinarily rare World Cup title defense.
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The best of Sports Illustrated
The top five…
… things I saw yesterday:
5. The player who was dismissed with a red card just three seconds into a match. Javier Armas of Fort Wayne FC in the third-tier USL League One kicked an opponent in the chest immediately after the opening kickoff.
4. A stunning pass from Joseph Melto and a clinical volley finish by Greg Hurst for New Mexico United's third goal against Lexington Sporting Club. (That's the USL Championship, the division above USL League One.)
3. Rose Lavelle's pinpoint finish for Gotham FC's only goal against the Washington Spirit. (The match was held at Citi Field in front of 42,000 spectators, the largest crowd ever for a women's sporting event in New York City.)
2. Enzo Fernández's thunderous strike for Argentina's opening goal.
1. Telemundo commentator Andrés Cantor's call of Lautaro Martínez's winner. (Cantor was born in Argentina and consistently delivers his finest work when calling his home country's matches.)
Dan Gartland writes Sports Illustrated's flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, and hosts the "Stadium Wonders" video series. He joined the SI staff in 2014, after previously being published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a Fordham University graduate, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).