England have melted down in spectacular fashion to be cruelly denied a World Cup final berth, conceding twice in the final minutes in a 2-1 loss to a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina.

Things had looked promising for England as they hunted their first World Cup final berth since 1966, with Anthony Gordon’s 55th minute strike giving them the advantage.

But as England went into defensive mode, the game started to change. A stunning Enzo Fernandez hit in the 85th minute levelled the scores, before Argentina broke the hearts of England fans with a late winner.

Lautaro Martinez found the back of the net with a header from a pinpoint cross in the second minute of nine minutes of added time, sparking scenes of wild celebration among Argentina supporters in Atlanta.

The result means 39-year-old Messi - who provided the assists for both goals - extends his decorated World Cup career into at least one more match, with his side to face Spain in the final on Monday (WA time).

Messi dropped to his knees on the final whistle, before being hoisted onto teammates’ shoulders in celebration.

Argentina are looking to become the first team since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 to repeat as World Cup champions. But England will be left to again lick their wounds and ponder what might have been in a final half-hour that had some questioning coach Thomas Tuchel’s tactics around being too defensive.

“We’re disappointed, we were so close but we got too passive after we scored and conceded a lot of chances,” 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.”

Former England great Wayne Rooney was among those to level criticism at Tuchel in the wake of the defeat.

“Top managers counteract what is going on and don’t go even deeper. What they do is go more front-footed and try to change the tempo and rhythm of the game. I think he got it wrong,” Rooney told the BBC.

“Against this team, the world champions, you will not get away with it. This has been the biggest test and we have failed it.”