Just when it looked like Argentina's World Cup run was coming to an end, the defending champions found another way.
Trailing late against England on Wednesday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Argentina scored twice in the final minutes to pull off a dramatic 2-1 victory and punch its ticket to Sunday's World Cup final against Spain.
England had one foot in the final after Anthony Gordon broke the deadlock in the second half. The Three Lions defended well for much of the night and seemed ready to end their 60-year wait for another World Cup final appearance.
Then Argentina reminded everyone why it's still the team to beat.
Enzo Fernández got things started in the 85th minute, blasting home a shot from outside the box to level the match and completely change the mood inside the stadium.
Moments later, Lionel Messi delivered another signature moment.
The 39-year-old sent a perfectly placed cross to the back post, where substitute Lautaro Martínez rose above the defense and nodded home the winner in the second minute of stoppage time.
It was another comeback, another late goal, and another trip to the World Cup final for Argentina.
"We are coming from being the best during these last four years like it or not and say what they want," Messi said after the match. "Once again we proved it's no fluke and nobody handed us anything. Reaching two consecutive World Cup finals is not for everyone and this group did it."
Messi's assist added another incredible milestone to his résumé. He now has 10 assists in World Cup knockout matches, the most by any player in at least the last 60 years, and has recorded either a goal or an assist in 11 straight World Cup games dating back to 2022.
Martínez said he believed his moment was coming before he even stepped onto the field.
"This is incredible, it's truly incredible," Martínez said. "I dreamed it, I swear. I told Alexis [Mac Allister] I was going to score a goal; I told Facu Medina that I was going to come on and win the match.
"We stretched the team and went all-in. We got the goals in the end, and after 3½ years, we're back in a World Cup final."
The match itself wasn't pretty early on. The first half was physical, chippy and full of fouls, with neither side creating many clear chances.
Things changed after halftime.
England grabbed the lead through Gordon, but instead of putting the game away, it slowly backed off and invited pressure. Argentina took control, creating chance after chance while Jordan Pickford did everything he could to keep England in front.
The England goalkeeper made a pair of outstanding saves, first denying Nico González before stopping Alexis Mac Allister after the Liverpool midfielder had already struck the post.
Eventually, though, the pressure became too much.
Fernández's equalizer cracked England's defense before Martínez delivered the knockout blow.
"This group never ceases to amaze me," Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. "What these players demonstrate is incredible. After this, it's very difficult to try to make people understand what they do on the field. We are unique, and that's not arrogance. The fans are the ones who carried us to victory."
For England, it was another painful chapter in a long history of World Cup near misses.
"We're disappointed, we were so close, but we got too passive after we scored and conceded a lot of chances," England coach Thomas Tuchel told the BBC. "We could not turn the ball possession around and then conceded so many crosses, chances and shots. We were close but couldn't keep the level up after we scored."
Argentina now heads to East Rutherford, New Jersey, where it will face Spain in what promises to be one of the biggest World Cup finals in recent memory.
The defending world champions are one win away from a fourth World Cup title and a place alongside Italy and Brazil as the only nations to win back-to-back World Cups.
