Lionel Messi delivered a masterclass as Argentina came from behind to beat England 2-1 in the World Cup semi-final, leaving former Barcelona teammate Thierry Henry in awe. The 39-year-old provided two assists in the final stages to secure a spot in Sunday's final against Spain.
Messi's Late Heroics Seal Comeback
Trailing 1-0 after Anthony Gordon's 52nd-minute strike, Messi took control of the game. He set up Enzo Fernandez's equaliser in the 85th minute with a precise pass, then delivered the cross for Lautaro Martinez to head home the winner in stoppage time. The performance took Messi's tournament tally to eight goals and four assists in seven appearances, earning him his fifth Player of the Match award of the competition.
Henry Praises 'Beast Mode' Messi
Speaking on Fox Sports, Henry described Messi's reaction to going behind as transformative. 'He reminded us he is human; he missed some penalties, four out of eight,' Henry said. 'Then he reminds us again he's not human. I've played with him... What happens with Leo, sometimes… don't wake up the beast.'
Henry recalled seeing Messi in training switch into an unstoppable mode after a perceived slight. 'He's just unstoppable when he goes into that mood. When his team needs him, he raises his game, a guy who played 120 minutes the other day, gets the ball and tries to dribble past everybody… wow.'
Messi and Bellingham Exchange Words
Before Messi's heroics, he was involved in a brief altercation with England's Jude Bellingham. The Real Madrid midfielder confronted Messi after a foul was awarded, but the Argentina captain dismissed him with a wave. Bellingham later downplayed the incident, saying: 'We were discussing a foul... it was nothing bad at all. I thought it was a foul earlier and he said 'what about the one on me?' and I was just saying, 'you're strong enough to take them.' It's a privilege to play against him.'
Henry: Messi Writes History
Henry marvelled at Messi's journey to a third World Cup final, calling it 'Hollywood stuff.' He added: 'It's almost like when you script that... it's a movie which won't happen in real life, the director went a bit too far with that one, but Messi writes it. This guy writes history with his feet, though, not with his hands.'
