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Argentina has secured their spot as the first finalist in the World Cup, triumphing over England with a dramatic 2-1 victory in their semi-final clash in Atlanta. The match proved to be a bitter disappointment for the Three Lions, who initially took the lead but conceded a complete turnaround in the closing minutes. A curious statistic reveals that in the 21st century, there have only been two instances where a team led in a World Cup semi-final but failed to reach the final – and in both cases, it was England (in 2018 against Croatia and now against Argentina).
The first such nightmare for the Three Lions unfolded in 2018 at the World Cup in Russia, when Kieran Trippier gave them an early lead against Croatia, only for the team to lose 1-2 after extra time. Now, eight years later, the scenario repeated itself identically against Argentina at the stadium in Atlanta. The English side took the lead first but failed to close out the match, allowing a full 1-2 comeback in the dying moments of regular time.
Thus, England once again failed to reach their first final since the memorable year of 1966 and will have to settle for a bronze medal match appearance on Saturday against France.
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