Argentina player ratings vs England: Never write the champions off! Lionel Messi produces more magic as Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez send Albiceleste to another World Cup final

Every time Lionel Messi got near the ball, the crowd in Atlanta held its breath. It wouldn't take much to feel the room shift during the first hour or so of Argentina's clash with England, just a brief moment where the Argentinian icon drifted into enough space to maybe, perhaps, do something. As the game wore on, those moments became more tense. Down a goal late, the moments where the air left the crowd were less about anticipating magic and more about a potential reality setting in.

With this Argentina team, though, reality just seems to be different. It wasn't Messi who gave the pro-Argentinian crowd their ability to breathe, but he did play his part. Once again, this team, the defending champions, came back from the brink in a World Cup game. They never make it easy, but they always seem to make it.