Exactly 40 years, two generations, the same country, the same score. On June 22, 1986, at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico, Diego Maradona performed a double miracle – first with his hand, then with his foot, and Argentina won 2:1. On July 15, 2026, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, history repeated with terrifying precision: again 2:1, again the victory of the Argentines, again a goal in the last minutes. Only now, instead of \"The Hand of God,\" there was the cold calculation of Enzo Fernández, and instead of Maradona, there was the 39-year-old Lionel Messi, who, like his great predecessor, led the team to the final. Coincidence? Or football fate, which writes scripts beyond time and logic?
To understand the greatness of the 2026 victory, one must return to that very day when football was divided into \"before\" and \"after.\" The quarter-final of the World Cup in Mexico. England and Argentina. At stake was not just a ticket to the semi-finals, but national pride, fueled by the Falklands War, which had occurred just four years earlier. The English considered themselves favorites, while the Argentines were avengers.
And then came Diego Maradona. First, he scored a goal with his hand – the referee did not see, the ball was in the net, and Maradona himself later called it \"The Hand of God.\" Four minutes later, he scored the second – the greatest solo run in the history of football, which would bypass half of the opposing team and place the ball in the corner. The English responded with a goal from Lineker, but they could not save the match. 2:1 – Argentina in the semi-finals, and then champions.
This match became more than just a sporting event. It became a national myth, a point of convergence for Argentine identity. For the English, it was a black day that they dreamed of erasing. For the Argentines, it was proof that even in the most desperate situation, one can win if there is faith and audacity. And here, 40 years later, history gave them a second chance – or a second act of the same drama.
The 2026 World Cup, which took place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, promised to be a tournament full of surprises from the very beginning. The defending champions, the Argentines, went to defend their title, but their path was fraught with difficulties. They overcame the group stage without much brilliance, and every match in the playoffs turned into a thriller. Cape Verde – 3:2 after extra time. Egypt – they conceded two goals, came back and won 3:2. Switzerland in the quarter-finals – again a draw in extra time. Argentina was not an invincible machine – it was more like a fighter who gets up on his knees at the last moment.
On the other hand, England went through the tournament more confidently. Thomas Tuchel, the German coach, instilled pragmatism and discipline in the \"three lions.\" They defeated DR Congo 2:1, beat Mexico 3:2, and in the quarter-finals, they overcame Norway 2:1 in extra time. Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka – the English attack looked stronger than the Argentine defense. The statistics of personal meetings were also in favor of the English: throughout history, they won 6 matches against 2 by Argentina, and another 6 ended in a draw. But as we know, statistics do not play football. People play, and people remember 1986.
The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta held 70,000 spectators. Before the match, the fans booed each other's anthems – the old wound was felt. The captains came out onto the field: 39-year-old Messi – the oldest field player in the history of World Cup semi-finals – and Harry Kane, who was also no longer a youth. The referee – American Ismail Elfath – began the match.
The first half passed in cautious battle. The English controlled the ball, while Argentina waited for their chances. But on the 55th minute, a breakthrough occurred: Anthony Gordon, the striker of Newcastle, opened the score. 1:0 in favor of England. The fans of the \"three lions\" were celebrating – it seemed that the curse of 1986 would soon be lifted. The score on the board was 1:0, and Argentina looked confused.
But Argentina was not the team that gave up on the last minutes of the match. This team had a habit of not giving up. And the main conductor was Lionel Messi. At an age when most players are sitting on the benches or in studios, he continued to carry the game on his shoulders. His passes cut through the English defense, his dribbling made defenders make mistakes. It was he who became the architect of the comeback.
There were five minutes left in the regular time. Argentina surged towards the Puford goal, but the English defense stood firm. Then what happened would be reviewed by fans for decades. Messi, receiving the ball on the left flank, moved to the center, outplayed Rice, and passed to Enzo Fernández. The Chelsea (and then Real Madrid) midfielder struck from the penalty area – the ball deflected off John Stones and flew into the corner of the goal. 1:1!
The stadium exploded. The Argentine fans, who were almost as many as the English, celebrated wildly. The English were in shock – they had led the entire match, but lost the victory in the last minutes. However, the drama was not over. The referee added five minutes of additional time, and in these minutes, what no one could have predicted happened.
On the second added minute, Messi received the ball on the flank again. He waited until the defenders moved in his direction and passed a perfect pass through to Lautaro Martínez. The Inter striker came one-on-one with Puford and calmly dribbled past the goalkeeper. 2:1! Argentina took the lead in the last minute of the match. Just like in 1986. Just like the same dramatic plot – first a controversial or unexpected goal, then the decisive strike at the end.
Puford fell to the ground in despair. Kane dropped his head. Bellingham stood and looked at the sky, unable to believe what was happening. And Messi, who watched that same match with Maradona on television 40 years ago, had now become its main hero. He did not score himself, but he made two assists and became the best assist in the history of the World Cups – 12 goal contributions. At 39, he looked as if time had no power over him.
After the match, statisticians rushed to count coincidences. 1986 and 2026 – a difference of 40 years. Both matches – at World Cups. Both – with a score of 2:1 in favor of Argentina. Both – with a goal in the last minutes (in 1986, Maradona scored the second on the 55th minute, but he actually decided the outcome in the first half; in 2026, the decisive goal came on 90+2). Both times Argentina went to the final and then won the tournament (in 1986, it was so, in 2026, the final was still ahead, but the Argentines were determined to repeat the path).
But there is another coincidence that only the most attentive noticed. In 1986, Maradona scored the first goal with his hand – \"The Hand of God.\" In 2026, the first goal of Argentina (Fernández) was scored after a deflection off a defender – a kind of \"foot of God,\" if you will. There was nothing dishonest about it, but the element of chance, luck, and inexplicable good fortune once again played in favor of the albiceleste. The English were left with nothing again, once again questioning the referees, once again not understanding how one can lose with such an advantage.
By the way, the referee of that match, Ismail Elfath, did not award a penalty to Argentina in the 78th minute when Romero tackled Kane in the penalty area. The English argued for a long time that this was a mistake. But as we know, history does not tolerate conditional moods. Argentina won, and no one could take away this victory.
The victory in Atlanta became not just another step towards the trophy. It became a symbolic handover of the baton. Maradona died in 2020, but his spirit hovered over the stadium. The Argentine fans unfurled a huge banner with his image and the inscription: \"Diego, this is for you.\" Messi, who was often compared to Maradona during his lifetime, finally stopped being a \"heir\" – he became an independent legend who re-wrote history in his own way, but with the same final note.
In an interview after the match, Messi said: \"I am not Maradona. I am Lionel. But I am happy that we were able to give the people the same joy as in 86. This is not revenge, it is just football. But football in which we won.\" Modestly, in Messi style, but there was steel in these words.
The English, in turn, experienced another national trauma. The newspapers came out with headlines: \"40 years of pain\" and \"The Curse of the Azteca has moved to Atlanta.\" Tuchel tried to justify himself, talked about unfair refereeing decisions, but it looked like weakness. England was defeated by Argentina again in a crucial moment. And this score in personal meetings at the World Cups became equal – 3-3.
By defeating England, Argentina went to the final, where they faced Spain – the defending European champions. The Spanish defeated France 2:0 in the semi-finals. For Messi, this was a chance to become a four-time World Cup champion (with the 2022 year included), but even without this final, his status was already eternal. He became the oldest field player in the history of semi-finals, the best assist in the history of the World Cups, and most importantly, he led the national team to the much-desired victory over the opponent after 40 years.
But the final is another story. For us, what happened in Atlanta is important. This was a match that once again proved that football does not obey the laws of probability. It obeys the laws of dramaturgy. It has its own scriptwriters, directors, and actors. Sometimes they change, but the plot remains the same.
One can analyze tactics, physical condition, substitutions for a long time. But if we are honest to the end, the main advantage of the Argentines was psychological. They knew that they had defeated England in 1986, and this confidence was passed on to them through generations. The English, on the other hand, carried the burden of that defeat, feared repeating mistakes, and this fear froze them at the decisive moment.
Moreover, Argentina had Messi – a man who played as if he were 25 at 39. His intelligence, his vision of the field, his calmness in the last minutes – this is something that cannot be trained. It is a gift that happens once in a century. And Argentina was lucky twice – first with Maradona, then with Messi. And this may be the main convergence of circumstances that cannot be explained by science or statistics[reference:39].
And of course, the factor of luck. Fernández's deflection, the penalty not awarded, the last attack that succeeded – all this can be called luck. But in football, like in life, luck favors those who believe. The Argentines believed until the end, and they received their miracle.
So, June 22, 1986, and July 15, 2026, are now forever linked in the history of football. Two matches, two scores, two victories, two geniuses – Maradona and Messi. One can argue about whether Maradona's goal was with his hand, one can criticize the refereeing in Atlanta, but one thing remains undeniable: Argentina is a country that knows how to defeat England in the most important moments. And it does this with enviable consistency.
40 years is a whole life. In this time, new generations grew up, technology, tactics, and the economy of football changed. But the spirit remained the same. The same spirit that inspired Maradona's audacity and Messi's indomitable will. And as long as this spirit lives, Argentina will win. And England will wait for its hour, which may come another 40 years from now, or may never come. Football, like life, loves to repeat itself, but only when there is magic in it. And in the Argentine-English confrontation, there is plenty of magic.
40 years later, \"The Hand of God\" showed itself again. Only now it was invisible – it directed the ball, it controlled destinies, it wrote the script. And this script turned out to be in favor of Argentina again. Well, let's wait for 2066. It will be interesting to see who will be the next Messi? Or maybe history will decide that two times are enough?
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