The Messi Effect: Why England's Defeat is a Symptom of Deeper Issues The World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina was always going to be a thrilling matchup, but few expected it to end in such heartbreaking fashion for the Three Lions.
Lionel Messi's masterclass on Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta will go down as one of the greatest individual performances in World Cup history, leaving English fans feeling crushed by another painful defeat.
England has been waiting 60 years for its World Cup victory drought to finally come to an end. The team's last appearance in a final was in 1966, when Geoff Hurst scored a hat trick against West Germany at Wembley.