Washington DC, 16/7: Lionel Messi did not add to his tally of eight goals in FIFA World Cup 2026 when defending champions Argentina beat England 2-1 in a thrilling semi-final on Thursday (IST).
Yet, the Argentine captain was the key for his team to book their second consecutive World Cup final. Modern-day greats like Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and the French striker, Kylian Mbappe, rely on individual brilliance to get their teams out of tough situations, Messi is more about contributing his genius and skills to the team collective. It was Lautaro Martinez who headed the winning goal in injury time at the end of the match, but the Argentine players mobbed Messi at the corner.
