England's dream of a first World Cup final appearance since 1966 was shattered in Atlanta on Wednesday night, as holders Argentina produced a breathtaking late comeback to win 2-1 in a FIFA World Cup semi-final at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Anthony Gordon had given the Three Lions what appeared to be a decisive lead — heading into the final five minutes, England were 1-0 up and seemingly on course for history. But Argentina had other ideas, scoring twice in the space of just seven minutes to turn the match completely on its head.

Fernandez ignites the comeback

The match had been a bruising, tightly contested affair. Nineteen fouls and two yellow cards were the hallmarks of a tense first half, with neither side managing a single shot on target before the interval.

Gordon broke the deadlock in the 55th minute, finishing at the back post from a superb cross by Rogers, and England began to believe. Jordan Pickford produced a crucial one-handed save from Nico Gonzalez's flicked header in the 69th minute, and Argentina struck the post through Alexis Mac Allister in the 76th — the woodwork all that stood between England and near-certain progress.

Yet the match turned on a single moment of brilliance. Enzo Fernandez, with the clock showing 85 minutes, struck a stunning long-range effort to level the scores and silence the English end of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Martinez seals Argentina's place in the final

England boss Thomas Tuchel had made a series of defensive substitutions in an attempt to see out the result, but the changes backfired — Argentina took firm control of the closing stages and were rewarded in the 92nd minute when substitute Lautaro Martinez headed home to complete a remarkable turnaround.

Lionel Messi was central to the decisive goal, providing the assist as his side moved to within one game of a second consecutive World Cup title. The performance underlined why Lionel Scaloni's Argentina remain the team to beat at this tournament.

Argentina will now face Spain in Sunday's World Cup final in New Jersey. England, meanwhile, must regroup for Saturday's third-place play-off against France in Miami.