Lautaro Martinez fought back tears as he reflected on scoring Argentina’s stoppage time winner against England, describing the moment as one he had envisioned long before stepping onto the pitch during the World Cup semi-final at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on 15 July.
The Inter Milan forward was introduced from the bench and struck deep into added time to complete a dramatic 2-1 comeback win, sending Argentina through to face Spain in Sunday’s final as they bid to defend the title they won in Qatar four years ago. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Martinez struggled to contain his emotion.
“This is huge. I always dreamed of scoring this goal,” he said. “My mum, from the day I left for Racing, never stopped making my bed. And that means more to me than a goal, than a final. I have my two kids, who have changed my life since they arrived. They made me slow down. Now I’m a man, I enjoy life.”
Martinez revealed he had sensed the moment coming even before Lionel Scaloni sent him on, having shared his premonition with teammates on the bench.
“I dreamed it, I swear, I told Alexis I was going to score a goal. I told Facu Medina on the bench that I was going to come on and win it. This team keeps showing what it’s made of,” he said.
He also offered his own explanation for how Argentina managed to turn the match around after falling behind, pointing to England’s fading energy levels as the game wore on.
“They got tired, after 60 minutes they had nothing left. They dropped back and we took advantage,” he said.
England had broken the deadlock in the 55th minute when Anthony Gordon volleyed home a long cross from Morgan Rogers to put Thomas Tuchel’s side in front. Argentina responded through Enzo Fernandez, who levelled after being teed up by Lionel Messi, before Messi turned provider once again in stoppage time to set up Martinez for the winner that completed the comeback.
Martinez also paid tribute to his teammate’s contribution to the victory, praising the quality of Fernandez’s strike that had brought Argentina level.
“Enzo scored an absolute belter too. This team keeps showing what it’s made of,” he added.
The win extended Argentina’s reputation for leaving matches late throughout this tournament, following a similarly dramatic comeback against Egypt earlier in the competition, and sets up a final against European champions Spain in New Jersey on Sunday as Scaloni’s side chase a second successive World Cup title.
