Thousands of Argentina and England soccer supporters gathered at the PNE’s FIFA Fan Fest Wednesday afternoon to find out which of their respective teams would earn the chance to face Spain in the final. Argentina are the defending champions and England haven’t hoisted the trophy in six decades. The two sides played a cautious first half and went to the locker rooms deadlocked at zero with neither squad registering a shot on goal. Anthony Gordon gave English fans something to cheer about in the 55th minute when he knocked in a cross from Morgan Rogers. After taking the 1-0 lead, England were under siege as Argentina pressed for the equalizer. In the 85th minute, just as some Argentina supporters clasped their hands in front of their chests and looked to the heavens—Enzo Fernandez answered their prayers with a powerful shot into the net from outside the area. As added time began and both sides hoped for late-game heroics, the Argentinian supporters looked to one man who has come through for them time and time again. Sure enough, Lionel Messi delivered. His 92nd minute cross found the head of Lautaro Martinez who redirected it past England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and sent Argentinian fans inside the PNE Amphitheatre into a frenzy. England will now meet France in the third-place match on Saturday. Argentina supporters were confident their team could hoist a fourth FIFA World Cup trophy on Sunday. But Spain, their opponent in the final, will certainly have something to say about that.
