Some players are blessed with the ability to deliver when the stakes are highest. For Spain, Argentina’s opponents in the final at New York New Jersey Stadium, Mikel Merino filled that role in successive knockout matches. For La Albiceleste, it is Enzo Fernandez.
Although the Chelsea midfielder had not been especially happy with his performances at this year’s global showpiece, everything clicked into place in the semi-final against England. “Throughout the World Cup, I don’t think I’d felt quite right personally, apart from in this match,” Fernandez said. “In the other matches, I wasn’t myself. I wasn’t comfortable with how I was feeling.”
Despite those frustrations, in the Round of 16 Fernandez struck in stoppage time to after Argentina had fought their way back into the contest. Then, back at Atlanta Stadium against the Three Lions, Lionel Scaloni’s No24 delivered once again, sweeping home an 85th-minute equaliser to ignite another comeback. “I hadn’t even dreamt of it,” he told the media afterwards. “I’m still reeling from the excitement. It hasn’t really sunk in what the match itself meant, but talking to the lads now and enjoying the moment, it’s something really special.”
“Euphoria, relief,” is how Fernandez described his feelings in the moments after scoring. Another goal, another decisive intervention. He announced himself on football’s biggest stage in Qatar in 2022, when he netted a superb strike in the 2-0 win over Mexico following the South Americans’ shock opening defeat at the hands of Saudi Arabia. Four years on, he has produced two more moments that may come to define this run, both coming when La Albiceleste were on the ropes. “Today, God gave me the wonderful gift of scoring in a semi-final for my country. I’m over the moon. It’s a feeling of euphoria I can’t explain.”
Among those celebrating in the stands were his children, alongside the thousands of Argentina fans in attendance and millions more watching back home. “I’m grateful to experience moments like this with all the Argentines in the stands. I can imagine everyone back home celebrating, crying with emotion, and feeling everything that these moments represent.”
Fernandez had been given licence to push further forward by Scaloni, and Lionel Messi’s clever pass to find him on the edge of the area will live long in the memory — as will the Chelsea midfielder’s split-second instinct to find space before unleashing a strike that sailed past Jordan Pickford to ripple the net. Fernandez offered quality throughout, but his goal will be remembered above all else: a decisive contribution to the nation’s pursuit of a fourth World Cup title and a second successive triumph on football’s grandest stage.
Sources: FIFA Official
