The title holders reached the World Cup final after overturning England 2-1 in the semi-final in Atlanta. The decisive header was scored by Lautaro Martínez in the 92nd minute from a Lionel Messi cross, and Argentina will face Spain in Sunday’s title clash.
As reported by Index, the Argentine players did not initially run towards the goalscorer after the winner, but towards Messi, for whom this will be his third World Cup final. A late incident was also recorded: Jude Bellingham struck Valentín Barco from behind, leading to a scuffle among the players.
According to the BBC, Argentina faces a potential FIFA disciplinary procedure after the match because players celebrated with a banner reading "Las Malvinas son Argentinas", meaning "The Falklands are Argentine". The archipelago in the South Atlantic is a British overseas territory over which Argentina and the United Kingdom have a sovereignty dispute, and which led to war in 1982. In 2014, FIFA fined the Argentine federation 20,000 pounds for the same banner for breaching rules on political messages.
In the other semi-final, Spain defeated France 2-0 on Tuesday, despite the French entering the match as strong favourites. The European champions are now unbeaten in 37 consecutive matches, equaling a record, and have kept a clean sheet in six of their seven tournament games. This will be head coach Luis de la Fuente’s first final, and only Spain’s second World Cup final since their 2010 title. France will play in the third-place match.
