If Argentina’s run to the final can be described with one fact, it’s this one— La Albiceleste has not led going into the 90th minute in any of its knockout stage matches.
With two comeback wins and two extra-time victories, Argentina’s run to the World Cup final has been unlike anything seen before. Four of its last seven World Cup knockout stage matches have gone to extra-time, with two coming this tournament.
Lionel Messi & Co. will face Spain on Sunday at 3 p.m. EST at New York New Jersey Stadium on FOX.
This matchup will be the first time the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in FIFA’s rankings have met in the final (since rankings were introduced in 1992).
It will also be the first ever World Cup final between the reigning European champions, and the reigning Copa América champions.
So how did Argentina get here? Just how improbable has its World Cup run been? Let’s dive in.
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Behind Lionel Messi’s first career World Cup hat trick, Argentina cruised to a 3-0 win over Algeria in its opener.
- Messi recorded his first hat trick at a World Cup, and the fifth ever hat trick for Argentina at a World Cup.
- Messi became the oldest player ever to record a hat trick in a World Cup match at 38 years, 357 days old; he passed Cristiano Ronaldo, who held the record, who scored a hat trick vs. Spain in 2018 at 33 years old.
- Messi became the second man to score in five different World Cups, joining Cristiano Ronaldo.
- Messi now holds the record as Argentina’s youngest and oldest goalscorer at a World Cup (he scored at 18 years old in 2006, and scored at 38 years vs. Algeria).
After missing a penalty kick early in the match, Messi redeemed himself with two more goals in Argentina’s 2-0 win against Austria to clinch Group J.
- Lionel Messi scored two goals to become the first man or woman to reach 18 career goals at the World Cup.
- After this match, Messi became the second player ever to score four or more goals in three different men’s World Cups (Miroslav Klose).
Having already clinched Group J, Argentina mixed up the lineup with multiple new starters in the group finale vs. Jordan. Giovani Lo Celso scored the first non-Messi goal for Argentina this summer, while Lautaro Martínez added another. Then, after coming on via a substitution, Messi’s brilliance was on full display once again as he scored a beautiful free-kick goal for his sixth goal of the group stage.
- Argentina scored two free kicks in this game, putting their total to five since tracked in 1966; that is tied for the second-most with South Korea at five, and only trails Brazil (12).
- Messi scored his lone goal on a free kick, giving him two direct free-kick goals in his World Cup career, the sixth player to reach that mark since 1966 (Pelé, Rivellino, Téofilo Cubillas, Bernard Genghini, David Beckham).
- Lionel Messi extended his record for the most World Cup goals by a man or woman ever (19).
- Messi set the record for the most consecutive World Cup games with a goal at seven.
Argentina completed one of the biggest comebacks in World Cup history against Egypt in the Round of 16 (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images).
In the Round of 32, Argentina barely survived what would have been one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. Cape Verde, a country with a population of approximately 529,000 people, took the defending World Cup champions to extra time.
After Messi’s 29th minute goal put Argentina in front, Cape Verde answered in the 59th minute to force extras. Then, after Argentina took the lead once again in the 92nd minute, Sidny Lopes Cabral scored the goal of the tournament to level the score once again for the Blue Sharks. As penalties loomed, a Cape Verde own goal provided the game-winning goal that sent Argentina through.
If Cape Verde had advanced, it would have been the largest upset in a knockout stage match by FIFA rankings in World Cup history; Cape Verde was ranked 67th, while Argentina was ranked first (difference of 66 spots).
- Argentina scored two or more goals in 10 straight World Cup games, the longest such streak since West Germany scored in nine straight from 1966-1970.
- Lionel Messi became the first man or woman to score 20 career goals at the World Cup
- Vozinha finished the World Cup with two clean sheets, becoming the third goalkeeper in World Cup history to record two clean sheets at age 40 or older (Peter Shilton, Dino Zoff).
For nearly 80 minutes, it looked like the defending champions were heading home.
Argentina trailed Egypt 2-0 entering the 79th minute of its Round of 16 match before scoring three goals in a stunning 13-minute span to complete one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup history.
Egypt took the lead in the 15th minute, marking the first time Argentina had trailed in a World Cup match since its opening game of the 2022 tournament against Saudi Arabia. The Pharaohs then doubled their lead in the 67th minute, leaving Argentina on the brink of elimination.
Then everything changed. Cristian Romero sparked the comeback in the 79th minute, converting a Messi assist to cut the deficit to 2-1. Just four minutes later, Messi found the equalizer himself. Then, in stoppage time, Enzo Fernández completed the miracle, scoring in the 92nd minute to seal an improbable 3-2 victory.
- According to Opta’s win probability model, Argentina’s chances of winning the match in regulation were 0.6% entering the 78th minute— just moments before Romero made it 2-1.
- This was the first time ever that Argentina came back from a two-goal deficit to win a match at the World Cup.
- Argentina became the first team to win a World Cup match in regular time after still trailing by two goals in the 78th minute, and just the second overall after Belgium against Senegal earlier in this tournament.
- Messi scored and assisted in this match, the fifth time he’s done that in a World Cup match; no other player has more than three such matches since assists were first tracked in 1966.
- Messi became the first player in World Cup history to score in six consecutive knockout stage matches.
- Messi became the first and only player to register an assist in six different World Cups.
In the quarterfinals, after an early goal from Alexis Mac Allister in the 10th minute, La Albiceleste looked like it was cruising to an easy win. Then, Switzerland’s Dan Ndoye equalized in the 67th minute. However, just when all the momentum shifted to Switzerland, Breel Embolo was sent off moments later after picking up his second yellow card.
The match was tied 1-1 through 111 minutes, until Julián Alvarez scored one of the best goals of the tournament to give Argentina the lead. Lautaro Martínez would scored a third in the 120th (+1), putting the nail in the coffin.
- Argentina reached consecutive World Cup semifinals for the second time ever, last doing so in 1986 and 1990.
- Four of Julián Alvarez’s five career World Cup goals have been scored in the knockout rounds, tied with Diego Maradona for the second-most by an Argentinian player behind only Lionel Messi (seven).
- Embolo became the fourth player since 1966 to receive a yellow card for simulation (Francesco Totti in 2002, Luis Pérez in 2006, Asamoah Gyan in 2006).
After giving up a goal in the 55th minute, Argentina once again found itself trailing. But with five minutes left in regulation, Messi saved the day once again— finding Enzo Fernández for the equalizing goal. Seven minutes later, he found Martínez for the game-winner.
- According to Opta’s win probability model, Argentina had only a 1.3% chance of winning the game within 90 minutes in the 84th minute, immediately before Fernández scored.
- With goals in the 85th and 90th (+2) minutes in this match, Argentina has now scored eight goals after the 85th minute (including extra time) in this World Cup— a record for a national team in a single edition in the tournament’s history.
- Argentina made its seventh World Cup final, which ties Brazil for second-most all-time (Germany has made eight).
- Argentina became the first team since Brazil in 1998 to enter the World Cup ranked No. 1 in the FIFA rankings and then make the final.
- Argentina has won a team-record 14 straight games, is unbeaten in a team-record 13 straight World Cup games (11 wins) and has won seven straight World Cup matches for the first time.
- Argentina has now recorded multiple goals in 13 straight World Cup games, extending its own record; La Albiceleste also became the only team to score at least two goals in all seven matches at this World Cup.
- Lionel Messi had two assists in this match; he has now scored or assisted in 11 straight World Cup matches, the longest streak on record (since 1966).
