Messi dismissed claims that Argentina have benefited from favourable refereeing decisions after reaching a second successive World Cup final…reports Asian Lite News desk
Lionel Messi has dismissed allegations that Argentina have benefited from favourable refereeing decisions during the FIFA World Cup 2026, insisting their place in a second successive World Cup final is the result of consistent performances rather than luck.
Defending champions Argentina booked their place in Sunday’s final against Spain after coming from behind to defeat England 2-1 in Atlanta. Anthony Gordon gave England the lead before Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez scored late goals, both created by Messi, to complete the comeback.
Argentina’s run to the final has attracted criticism in some quarters, with claims that several refereeing decisions have favoured Lionel Scaloni’s side. Messi rejected those suggestions, saying Argentina’s achievements over the past four years speak for themselves.
“It hurts whoever it hurts… We’ve been the best for the last four years, whether people like it or not, no matter what they say. Once again, we’re among the two best in the world, and that shows that everything we’ve done isn’t by chance and nobody gave us anything. Reaching two consecutive World Cup finals is something few achieve, and this group did it,” the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner said.
Messi also suggested that critics would have questioned Argentina regardless of the outcome had they failed to overcome England.
“If we had lost to England, people would have come out and said some nonsense, and we didn’t give them the chance. We knew that we were better than them in terms of football, but a lot is at stake in a match of this magnitude, where historic events happen in these games,” he added.
The Argentina captain also dedicated the victory to Diego Maradona, whose famous World Cup quarter-final performance against England in 1986 remains one of the defining moments in football history.
“Without a doubt, Diego is enjoying this immensely from up there because today was a very special day for him; to be able to give him this joy and for him to experience it however he wants from up there. Let him enjoy it because it’s a gift for him too,” Messi said.
Messi played a decisive role in Argentina’s comeback, providing assists for both Fernandez and Martinez as the holders moved within one victory of retaining the World Cup title.
Argentina will face Spain in Sunday’s final, aiming to become back-to-back world champions after lifting the trophy in Qatar four years ago.
Scaloni’s heroes do it again
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni hailed his players after their dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over England, saying the squad continues to exceed expectations as they booked a place in a second consecutive FIFA World Cup final.
An emotional Scaloni admitted he struggled to put the achievement into words, praising both his players and the travelling supporters.
“I’m speechless, speechless. What a joy for our country, for our people,” Scaloni said after the final whistle.
“The other day I said that this squad never ceases to amaze me. And after this it’s very difficult to get people to understand what these players are capable of. It’s incredible. We’re unique, really, and that’s not arrogance – it comes from the heart. We’re unique. These fans helped us win the match today, so I’m grateful.”
Speaking later at his post-match press conference, Scaloni said his side produced their best football when faced with adversity.
“To be honest, the team plays best when it’s under pressure. And when we’re under pressure and the opposition hesitates just a little, that’s when we smell blood and go all the way. You feel as though there’s a vacuum cleaner in the goal pulling you towards it,” he said.
Scaloni described Argentina’s response after conceding as the perfect reflection of the values he wants his team to embody.
“From the moment they scored, it was a display that sums up everything we want from football. Football isn’t just about tactics, strategy and playing beautifully. Football is everything that was encapsulated in those 40 minutes.”
“And when we made it 2–1, we had to dig in, and we did that right until the end too. It’s a demonstration of everything we’re taught about what football is when we’re little.”
Gutted Kane
England captain Harry Kane admitted the Three Lions are still searching for the “missing piece” needed to end their long wait for major tournament success after a 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final.
The defeat also marked England’s third World Cup semi-final loss after previous exits in 1990 and 2018.
Reflecting on the result, Kane said England had once again come close but failed to take the final step.
“We had a lot of good moments in this tournament, a lot of good games, and another semi-final,” Kane said.
“We talk about knocking on the door, we are close. We just need to find that missing piece in the final stage of the tournament.”
“These tournaments take it out of you, so much effort, pressure and mentality and we have shown a lot of that the 6-7 weeks we have been together, but we are just missing that final piece.”
Kane said the defeat was especially painful given the effort the squad had invested throughout the tournament.
“I’m just gutted,” he said. “Gutted for the boys, gutted for everyone.”
“We played a good game for the large majority of it. When we went 1-0 up, we seemed to just try and hold on which at this level isn’t enough. Just gutted because we have worked so hard to be here. The lads have given every last bit of running, sweat, blood, tears. To fall short like we did today is just gutting.”
The England captain felt the momentum shifted after his side took the lead, allowing Argentina to dominate the closing stages of the match.
“We struggled to get pressure on the ball,” Kane said.
“First half and start of the second half we pressed them well. We put them under loads of pressure, especially high up the pitch which allowed us to win balls, control the game a little bit better.”
“After the goal, whether that was them putting more players forward or us not being able to match them man for man. It was just wave after wave and we were trying to hold on. Lads were putting blocks in but in the end it wasn’t enough.”
Kane added that England’s approach after taking the lead had been to continue attacking rather than defend their advantage.
“The boys are always ready for any moment in the game. When we went ahead, the messaging was to go again and get another goal.”
“Then obviously when they scored their two goals, trying to get something but we couldn’t quite get the momentum back in the game.”
England will now take on France in Sunday’s third-place play-off, while Argentina will face Spain in the World Cup final.
Too passive, rues Tuchel
England manager Thomas Tuchel said his side paid the price for becoming too passive after taking the lead as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to defending champions Argentina in the FIFA World Cup semi-final.
Reflecting on the defeat, Tuchel said England failed to maintain the intensity that had put them in control of the match.
“We were so close but we got too passive after we scored,” Tuchel said.
“We conceded a lot of chances and we could not turn the ball possession around. We conceded so, so many crosses and chances and shots. We were close but we couldn’t keep the level up after we scored. We conceded chances straight away, we decided to go to a back five because the gaps were far too open.”
The England coach explained that the tactical switch was made to deal with Argentina’s aerial threat but admitted his side struggled to regain possession.
“They won every header; they kept crossing and crossing, so we went to a back five to close the gaps inside and be strong in the air because straight after our goal with no substitutions, we just conceded way too many crosses and way too many chances. It doesn’t help if you don’t have the ball. We couldn’t get out. Of course we wanted to go for the second goal but I had the feeling it was not a substitution that would help,” he added.
Despite the result, Tuchel praised the commitment shown by his players throughout both the match and the tournament, insisting there were no regrets over their overall performance.
