Argentina fought back to win 2-1 over England in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals and will face Spain in Sunday’s final.
Argentina looked to be heading out after Anthony Gordon gave England the lead, but they produced another late comeback. Messi set up Enzo Fernandez to fire home the equaliser in the 85th minute before delivering the cross that Lautaro Martinez headed in for the winning goal in Atlanta.
The 39-year-old captain said the result meant even more because of the history between the two nations.
“It was quite a special one, especially playing against England with all the historical context,” Messi said after the match.
Messi also praised the determination shown by his teammates, saying Argentina’s character has been one of the biggest reasons behind their run to another World Cup final.
The South Americans have repeatedly found a way to recover during the tournament. They came from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2 in the last 16 and once again showed their resilience by overturning the deficit against England.
“What the group has been doing is incredible, and this, of course, is again something that shows our character, our grit, our collective, the way that we play together,” Messi said.
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“It was really, truly amazing.”
Argentina will now meet Spain at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with the World Cup title on the line.
Messi expects another difficult challenge against a side he knows well from his years at Barcelona.
“They are a fantastic side, with wonderful players,” he said.
“They play very, very well. I know them quite well. Their whole idea and philosophy has been developed over a long time, and I know the players as well.”
The final will see Messi attempt to lead Argentina to another World Cup triumph against a Spain team that secured their place in the showpiece with a 2-0 victory over France.