Anthony Gordon buried England’s go-ahead goal Wednesday, turning home a low cross from Morgan Rogers to put the Three Lions ahead 1-0 over Argentina in the World Cup semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The goal, scored in the 55th minute, snapped a scoreless deadlock and pushed Thomas Tuchel’s side within one victory of a first World Cup final appearance since England’s lone title in 1966.
Harry Kane started the move with a long ball out of midfield. Rogers ran onto it and whipped in a cross that Gordon met for his first goal of the tournament, according to NBC News‘ live match coverage. It was England’s first shot on target of the day, arriving after a stretch so barren that neither side had recorded a shot in the opening half hour â the longest shotless start to a men’s World Cup match since 1966, the outlet reported, citing the Fox broadcast.
Anthony Gordon’s Path From Everton to World Cup
Gordon, 25, came up through Everton’s academy before a 2023 move to Newcastle United, where he developed into an England regular under Thomas Tuchel and helped end the club’s 70-year trophy drought with a League Cup title. Barcelona paid an initial 70 million euros to sign him away from Newcastle in May, according to Al Jazeera‘s report on the transfer, a fee that could climb past 80 million euros with add-ons.
Gordon left Newcastle after scoring 17 goals in all competitions last season, including 10 in the Champions League, closing out 152 appearances for the club with 39 goals and 28 assists across all competitions. Wednesday’s finish was his first World Cup goal, arriving in his first World Cup start against England’s fiercest rival, and it offered an early answer to questions about how he would handle a nine-figure transfer fee on the international stage.
Argentina’s Comeback History Looms Over England’s Lead
A one-goal cushion against these Argentines carries obvious risk. Lionel Messi and the defending champions trailed Egypt 2-0 with 11 minutes left in the round of 16 before Cristian Romero and Messi scored four minutes apart, and Enzo Fernández completed the turnaround with a stoppage-time header for a 3-2 win, according to ESPN‘s recap of the match. It marked the first time in World Cup history a team had won a knockout game in regulation after trailing by two goals in the 75th minute.
Argentina also needed extra time to get past both Cape Verde and Switzerland earlier in the knockout rounds, a pattern of late resilience defining the team’s run to Atlanta. Messi has scored in six straight World Cup knockout matches, and Wednesday marked his first career meeting with England in 205 appearances for his country.
England has won only two matches by more than a single goal all tournament, a trend that leaves little margin against a team built for late rallies.
The winner advances to face Spain, which beat France 2-0 on Tuesday to reach Sunday’s final at New York-New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The World Cup final is set for Sunday, July 19, at 3 p.m. ET, also airing on FOX and streaming on FOX One, with the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal set to face Spain for the championship.
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