Lionel Scaloni has suggested that England’s increasingly defensive approach gave Argentina the encouragement they needed to complete their dramatic World Cup semi-final comeback.
Thomas Tuchel’s side appeared to be closing in on England’s first men’s World Cup final since 1966 after Anthony Gordon opened the scoring in the 55th minute in Atlanta.
The goal changed the direction of the contest, but not as England intended. Rather than continuing to press Argentina and search for a second, Tuchel’s players dropped deeper and attempted to protect their narrow advantage.
Argentina immediately sensed an opportunity.
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“There was blood in the water, and we went for it,” Scaloni said, according to an AFP report published by the Buenos Aires Times.
Argentina thrive under pressure
Scaloni said adversity had once again brought the best out of his players.
Argentina had struggled to break down England during a physical and closely contested opening hour. Messi was tightly marked, while Tuchel’s side carried a considerable threat when they regained possession.
Once England moved ahead, however, Argentina abandoned much of their earlier caution. Scaloni committed more players to attack and encouraged his side to stretch England’s increasingly crowded defensive structure.
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The defending champions struck the woodwork twice and created several opportunities before Enzo Fernández finally equalised in the 85th minute.
“You just have to keep going,” Scaloni explained in the same AFP interview, while highlighting his team’s refusal to become frustrated by the chances that had gone begging.
Argentina then continued pushing for a winner rather than preparing for extra time.
Two minutes into stoppage time, Messi found space on the right and delivered a precise cross into the penalty area. Substitute Lautaro Martínez rose between England’s defenders and powered his header beyond Jordan Pickford.
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The late goal completed a 2-1 victory and sent Argentina into Sunday’s final against Spain.
England’s retreat invites relentless pressure
Scaloni’s comments will add to the scrutiny surrounding England’s management of the match after Gordon’s goal.
Tuchel made several defensive changes as Argentina increased the pressure, but England became unable to retain possession or provide Harry Kane with meaningful support at the opposite end of the pitch.
Scaloni recognised that England were attempting to close spaces around their penalty area. His response was to make the pitch wider, overload attacking areas and continue delivering balls towards a defence that was becoming increasingly stretched.
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“We spread the play wide and eventually scored both goals,” Scaloni said in an interview published by FIFA after the semi-final.
England’s approach also reduced the risk for Argentina. With Tuchel’s players sitting deep, Scaloni’s defenders could move forward without being exposed to the same counterattacking threat that had troubled them earlier in the match.
Argentina were therefore able to sustain attack after attack until England’s resistance finally broke.
The Associated Press match report described how Argentina’s pressure intensified during the closing stages, with Fernández and Martínez scoring seven minutes apart to overturn England’s lead.
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Scaloni celebrates another remarkable escape
The victory was not Argentina’s first dramatic recovery of the tournament.
Scaloni’s side also came from behind to defeat Egypt 3-2 in the round of 16, surviving another chaotic knockout match to keep their title defence alive.
The Argentina coach had described that victory as “epic”. Asked to find an appropriate description for the comeback against England, he responded: “Epic, squared?”
That answer reflected both the importance of the occasion and the extraordinary manner in which Argentina reached the final.
They were trailing with only five minutes of normal time remaining and had already seen several opportunities denied by Pickford or the woodwork. Less than ten minutes later, they were celebrating a second consecutive World Cup final.
Scaloni believes the comeback was another demonstration of the mentality that has defined his team throughout its period of international success.
“This group is difficult to explain,” he said.
Players refuse to fear failure
Argentina have won the 2021 and 2024 Copa América tournaments as well as the 2022 World Cup under Scaloni.
The coach believes that experience has removed much of the fear normally associated with the decisive stages of major tournaments.
Even when England took the lead, Scaloni said his players did not become consumed by the consequences of elimination. They continued taking risks, trusting that another chance would eventually arrive.
“They fear nothing,” he said of his squad.
That mentality stood in sharp contrast to an England team that appeared increasingly preoccupied with preserving its advantage.
Scaloni did not directly attack Tuchel or mock England after the match. His description of “blood in the water”, however, offered a brutal assessment of how Argentina interpreted their opponents’ retreat.
England believed they were protecting a place in the final. Argentina saw vulnerability.
Another final awaits
Argentina will face European champions Spain at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday.
Victory would make Scaloni’s side the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to retain the men’s World Cup. It would also deliver a fourth consecutive major international trophy during an extraordinary period for the national team.
The official FIFA match report confirmed that Messi was named player of the match after contributing to both of Argentina’s late goals.
England must instead prepare for Saturday’s third-place play-off against France while analysing how a winning position disappeared so quickly.
For Scaloni, the explanation was simple. England stepped back, Argentina sensed weakness and the champions attacked.
