The manner of England's World Cup exit against Argentina was historic, and it has some NFL fans thinking of another monumental collapse.
England were minutes away from reaching a first World Cup final in 60 years, but a remontada for the ages from the defending world champions means the Three Lions go home without the trophy once again.
Argentina summoned their usual black magic to score twice in quick succession with the clock winding down, becoming only the second team this century to come from behind and win a World Cup semi-final.
It's drawing comparisons to another famous collapse, from the team whose NFL stadium hosted England vs Argentina on Wednesday afternoon.
Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images
After full-time, social media was abuzz with breakdowns of what we all just witnessed. Messi magic, a screamer from Enzo Fernandez, and post-match scenes of jubilation and despair.
One NFL enthusiast realized this all felt similar to the Atlanta Falcons infamously choking a 25-point lead at Super Bowl LI, only for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to mount one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.
Broadcaster Jason Hagholm posted to X : "England collapse in the home of North America's biggest collapse franchise, the Atlanta Falcons."
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Funnily enough, it's not the first time the 28-3 comeback has been referenced at this World Cup .
A few weeks ago, when Argentina beat even tougher odds to come from two behind against Egypt, the man behind the Super Bowl heroics, Tom Brady, made the comparison.
He said: "Yeah so that might top 28-3."
After the semi-final, Brady again took to X , but it was a simpler reaction. He wrote: "Oh my god."
This Argentina team has a habit of defying the odds. Their journey to the final has been far from smooth, and there were multiple occasions where they could have been sent packing, but mentality — and Messi — have got them through.
Next up is Spain, who will be favorites to win in New York on Sunday. But you can't rule out another Patriots-style remontada from the current title holders, if that's how events unfold.
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