World Cup: Tuchel, Messi and why Argentina beat England in semifinal

Defending champions Argentina are heading back to the World Cup final after a 2-1 victory over England on Wednesday in Atlanta.

La Albiceleste will face Spain in Sunday’s final and are seeking their fourth title, having also lifted the trophy in 1978 and 1986.

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England, meanwhile, now have to play France on Saturday in the third-place match and the inquest into their defeat has begun.

Al Jazeera breaks down some of the key deciding factors in how Argentina prevailed over bitter rivals England in the semifinal.

Tuchel’s questionable tactics

England protected leads against Mexico in the last 16 and Norway in the quarterfinals by reverting to a back five and shutting up shop. They attempted the same thing against Argentina after taking a 1-0 lead in the 55th minute through Anthony Gordon, but it did not work this time.

England became trapped too early in their half facing relentless Argentina pressure – the Three Lions only had 12 percent possession between scoring against Argentina and conceding the winner in stoppage time.

At one point, there were six defenders on the pitch for England, and every player was typically behind the ball, so they lacked an outlet to relieve the pressure.

While England defended heroically at times, with a world-class save by Jordan Pickford from Nicolas Gonzalez, they were riding their luck well before the equaliser as Alexis Mac Allister hit each post, and it felt inevitable that Argentina would score eventually, which they duly did in the ‌85th and 92nd minutes.

England coach Thomas Tuchel accepted responsibility for the defeat but said he did not regret his tactics.

“You can discuss this with a million coaches [but] I have to make a decision on the pitch,” Tuchel told the BBC. “I analysed the match and I did it a certain way so that’s my responsibility. In the moment, no regrets. The team gave everything and we were ⁠very, very close.”

It was the third time since the 2018 World Cup that England have lost a major championship semifinal or final after taking the lead.

All three defeats, including Wednesday’s at Atlanta Stadium, followed the same template – a solid start, going 1-0 up, a desperate rearguard action, and finally, defeat.

Messi’s enduring brilliance

Argentina’s captain and talisman, Lionel Messi, proved that at 39 years old, he can still drag his team from behind to glory as he created both of his side’s goals.

Messi has played every minute of all four of Argentina’s knockout games at the tournament, making an art of preserving his energy for the moments that matter. Even at his age, he still has the ability to explode into elusive, mazy runs, to add to his still razor-sharp creativity and goal-scoring acumen.

Messi had a quiet start to the game and was subject to some close attention and rough tackles, particularly from England midfielder Elliot Anderson.

But midway through the first half, he escaped the attention of three England players in a brilliant mazy run, before he was scythed down by Anderson, who went into the book. It was a galvanising moment for Messi and his teammates.

In the second half, as England sat back, Messi started to find space and pull the strings. He teed up Enzo Fernandez for the equaliser and delivered the cross for Lautaro Martinez to head in the winner, sealing a 2-1 victory.

At an age when most players have retired, Messi remains the beating heart of the team – scoring eight goals to sit joint top of the Golden Boot standings at this World Cup – and providing four assists.

Wednesday’s assists took his tally to 12 at World ‌Cups, a record that sits alongside his 21 goals at football’s global showpiece.

Argentina’s dark arts disrupt England’s rhythm

Argentina sought to break up the game and stop England finding any kind of rhythm through fouls, provocation and gripes to the referee.

The first half was pretty attritional – it was the first World Cup match since records began in 1966 not to feature a shot in the first 30 minutes.

While England did a fairly good job of not rising to the bait and often gave as good as they got, they were rattled at times – frequently not releasing the ball fast enough and taking free kicks too slowly.

The disruption benefited Argentina as England frequently struggled to keep hold of the ball or create chances, and were often embroiled in frustrating disputes.

Argentina’s incredible self-belief

Coach Lionel Scaloni’s men have never looked completely convincing at this World Cup, but they remain unbeaten and always back themselves to find a way to win.

They fought their way through the knockout rounds, most memorably coming back from two goals down to beat Egypt in the last 16, as well as struggling at times against Cape Verde and Switzerland.

“The other day I said this group never stops surprising me,” said coach Lionel Scaloni. “And I’ll tell you the truth, we’re going to try to win, we’re going to leave everything out there.

“It’s incredible. We are unique, truly, and it’s not arrogance, it’s from the heart.”

Rowdy pro-Argentina crowd makes champions feel at home

Argentina fans are well known for their rabid, boisterous support of their national side, and that fevered passion made their beloved team feel right at home in Atlanta.

The rambunctious pro-Argentina crowd made their voices heard throughout the game – serenading the team with songs, chants and screaming at the top of their lungs.

Gaston Reinoso, an Argentinian who lives in Houston and traveled to Atlanta for the match, said the devotion of the fan base cannot be easily described.

“It’s really hard to explain the passion that these fans have,” Reinoso told The Associated Press.

“When you are Argentinian, you feel football like religion. This may be everything for you. You can see an event like this, it’s a moment when people forget about religion, politics, everything. Everyone is united. This is Argentina, there’s nothing like it.”