Lautaro Martínez lived an unforgettable night with the Argentine team. The Inter Milan striker scored the winning goal against England in added time to seal Argentina's 2-1 comeback and qualify for the 2026 World Cup final, where they will face Spain.

Still with the emotion reflected on his face, the attacker confessed that he had imagined that moment long before entering the field of play.

Lautaro Martínez confesses that he anticipated the qualifying goal

The forward could barely contain his tears when remembering the goal that gave Argentina the ticket to a new World Cup final.

“This is very strong, it is very strong,” Lautaro Martínez began by saying during the interview on the field.

He later revealed that that goal had been a dream since his early years in soccer.

"I dreamed it, I swear to you. I told Alexis (Mac Allister) that I was going to score a goal, I told Facu Medina, that I was going to go in and I was going to win it."

Argentina took advantage of England's wear and tear

The attacker explained that the team's reaction came when England lost intensity in the pressure, a situation that allowed the Argentine team to control the ball better and create spaces.

“We made the field wide and in the end we scored the goals and after three and a half years, we are playing in a world final again,” said the forward.

The comeback was achieved with goals from Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez, after the English had taken the lead in the second half.

Lautaro praises Spain before the final

Already in the mixed zone, Lautaro Martínez changed his focus to the next challenge and recognized the quality of the rival he will face in the dispute for the 2026 World Cup title.

“We are going to face a highly ranked rival, who has not lost in 37 games, who has great players, so now it is time to rest and recover as much positive energy as possible.”

Despite this, he made it clear that the group also wants to enjoy the moment they are going through.

“What we are achieving is very difficult, reaching a final after 3 and a half years of being champions is no less.”

The forward highlights the character of Argentina

For Lautaro Martínez, one of the team's main strengths has been the ability to react in the most complicated moments of the tournament.

"We came from three difficult games where it had become difficult for us, and in the end the team always got something more from within. Today once again with the result against us we managed to turn it around in injury time," he highlighted.

Lautaro Martínez follows Messi closely in the scoring table

With the goal against England, Lautaro Martínez reached three goals in the 2026 World Cup, a figure that places him as Argentina's second highest scorer in the tournament, only behind Lionel Messi.

Now, the forward will seek to increase his scoring quota when the Argentine team faces Spain in the grand final with the mission of defending the championship won four years ago.