Kolkata, July 17 -- After Anthony Gordon scored, Lionel Messi was seen rubbing the back of his head. It looked like the reaction of a man used to managing crisis. A man who had made peace with the fact that like against Cabo Verde, Egypt and Switzerland, Argentina will again have to do it the hard way. And so they did. At the final whistle in Atlanta on Wednesday (Thursday, Indian time), knees planted on the pitch, Messi pumped his arms. England had kept him quiet for most of the semi-final and yet, he ended with two assists. Lamine Yamal and Spain stand between him and Argentina doing what no team have since 1962: retain the World Cup. Cue the photograph of baby Yamal and Messi getting another life on social media. Lautaro Martinez's stoppage-time winner was, including goals in extra-time, Argentina's fourth after the 90th minute in the knockout rounds. Enzo Fernandez's equaliser was their fifth after the 85th since the round of 32. Argentina have owned the final minutes of matches in this World Cup like no other team. After Fernandez scored with a screamer, he scrunched his eyes and put his arms to his ears asking the crowd to make some noise. Crisis, what crisis? This is a team that revels in these situations. In Juergen Klopp speak, Argentina are mentality monsters. "I honestly think this is a team that plays its best football when it's under pressure," said Lionel Scaloni. The Argentina head coach explained why. "The opponent hesitates just a little," he said. Argentina then "smell blood and we go for it." England showed that hesitation by retreating so deep after Gordon's 55th minute strike that Argentina got a free pass to lay siege on their goal. England's lead would have lasted less than three minutes had the impressive Djed Spence not put in a brilliant tackle to deny Giuliano Simeone. Between Gordon's goal and the final whistle, England had 12% possession. The goals may be coming from others but there is no denying where the nerve-centre of attack is. By dropping deep, England handed Messi the kind of space he had been denied until Gordon struck. Cutting inside from the right and drifting wide like he did against Egypt and Switzerland, Messi directed attacks with precision. He swung deliveries that sparked chaos in England's penalty area. Nico Gonzalez could have had a hattrick from them, all headers. One found him moments after he had come on, another was cleared for a corner-kick and a third needed a strong hand from Jordan Pickford. Messi's assist for Martinez came off his right foot and maybe that surprised England because they were expecting him to shift the ball to his favoured left foot. In his first match against them, Messi recorded 94 touches, completed nine dribbles and made two assists. Another record since they began to be kept in 1966. Messi has played every minute of the four knockout rounds, two of which have gone into extra-time. Going into the semi-final, Messi had 22 ball carries of at least five metres after which he had either taken a shot or played a pass. No one had as many. In the quarter-final, he made 84 sprints, Erling Haaland made 74 in his. He has had a top speed of 30.9 kmph; Harry Kane's is 31.4 kmph. Messi is 39 going on 29. Thomas Tuchel got taller players in including big Dan Burn but Argentina's attacks came in waves. A delivery from Nicolas Tagliafico needed a desperate clearance from Marc Guehi and one from Rodrigo de Paul was headed into the upright by Alexis Mac Allister superbly running into space. When Mac Allister hit the other upright with a shot in 90+2, Messi reacted first and fired it back into the mix for Martinez. Three of his four assists in this tournament have come after the 75th minute. Along with a record 21 goals, Messi has 12 assists in the World Cup. Scaloni said his "warriors" gave everything they had in the final 40 minutes because "they grew up in an environment where they fear nothing." They are world champions for a reason, said Alan Shearer, the former England captain. "It is not only about ability but also know-how and attitude when things are going against you." Before he scored, Fernandez had tried three long-rangers. Argentina have conceded in their last five matches. They do not press, do not have the attack of France or England's speed in wide areas and cannot keep the ball like Spain. And yet here they are, like the generation of 1986 and 1990, like Italy of 1982, in the final, their seventh. In 2018, a television commentator had said Messi's race in the World Cup was run. There were moments this time when his farewell was imminent. Yet here he is in his third World Cup final, one win from going where even Diego Maradona had failed to tread....