Forty years ago, at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Diego Maradona punched England out of the 1986 World Cup with the "Hand of God" before adding the "Goal of the Century" in the same match — a quarterfinal England has never fully stopped talking about. The rematch won't be at the scene of the crime; it'll be in Atlanta, and it won't be a quarterfinal, it'll be a semifinal with a place in the final on the line. But forty years is forty years, and the Couch does not believe in coincidences at this World Cup.
England arrive off the back of the wildest match of the tournament so far — a 2-1 extra-time win over Norway built entirely on a Jude Bellingham brace, with Erling Haaland held scoreless and bizarrely substituted mid-way through extra time. Argentina arrive off the back of arguably the strangest, a 3-1 extra-time win over a 10-man Switzerland decided by a red card born from mistaken identity. Both semifinalists needed extra time to get here. Neither looked entirely convincing doing it.
Thomas Tuchel's side has now won three straight knockout matches with three different match-defining performances — Bellingham's Azteca brace against Mexico, a backs-to-the-wall defensive display with ten men, and now an extra-time double against Norway. Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, and Declan Rice have all been quietly excellent without necessarily being the headline. Against a tiring Argentina side, England's greater squad freshness could matter more than anyone is currently pricing in.
Lionel Scaloni's side has needed a comeback or extra time in three of their last four knockout matches, and the accumulated mileage — on Messi in particular — is a real and growing concern. Argentina's individual quality remains the best in the tournament in short bursts. Whether that quality still has 120 minutes left in the tank against a fresher England side is the entire question of this semifinal.
Jude Bellingham continues his one-man knockout stage takeover, opening the scoring in the first half with the kind of driven, box-crashing finish that has defined his entire tournament. Messi — presumed to be playing his final World Cup — responds almost on cue, ghosting between two defenders to level it before halftime, a goal that ties him with Mbappé at the top of the Golden Boot race the moment it goes in.
Declan Rice, of all people, restores England's lead early in the second half, arriving late into the box off a Saka cutback — his first goal of the tournament, and a reminder that this England side has scoring threats at every level of the pitch. Messi answers again, this time with the assist rather than the goal, threading a pass for Julián Álvarez to level it at 2-2 — and by the letter of the Golden Boot tiebreaker (goals, then assists), that contribution is enough to edge Messi back in front of Mbappé even at identical goal tallies.
It's Bukayo Saka who has the final word, cutting in from the right in the closing stages and curling a finish into the far corner to make it 3-2. England hold on through a nervy final few minutes, exorcise forty years of Azteca ghosts in the only way that actually matters — with a trophy still on the line — and advance to face Spain in the final.
Another driven finish from the edge of the box — his seventh of the tournament, continuing the best individual knockout run outside of Messi and Mbappé.
A trademark finish between two defenders to level it before halftime — ties him with Mbappé atop the Golden Boot on goals.
His first goal of the tournament, arriving late into the box off a Saka cutback. A reminder England score from everywhere.
A Messi assist — not a goal — but enough, by the tiebreaker, to edge Messi back above Mbappé on the Golden Boot table.
A curled finish into the far corner late on. England hold on to reach the final.
Six goals and counting, an equalizer and an extra-time winner already delivered against Norway, and now a shot at doing to Argentina's aging spine what he's already done to two other knockout opponents. If England win this tournament, the story will run through him as much as anyone.