In its 60 year quest to return to the summit of the sport it invented, England has endured all manner of agonizing defeats and crushing heartbreak.

为了重返这项由他们发明的运动之巅，英格兰队奋斗了整整60年，其间历尽了惨痛的失败和撕心裂肺的打击。

There have been ugly goals and uglier collapses, untimely ejections and the ritual humiliation of penalty shootouts.

有不堪的丢球，也有更不堪的崩盘；有不合时宜的红牌，也有点球大战中宿命般的屈辱。

But there had never been cruelty quite like this—nothing like being five minutes from a World Cup final and having it suddenly, brutally snatched away.

但从未有过像这样残酷的遭遇——从未有过如此接近世界杯决赛、却突然被无情夺走的时刻。

Holding a one-goal lead over Argentina, with 85 minutes gone, and seemingly on the brink of returning to the World Cup final for the first time since 1966, England was hit by a pair of savage haymakers as the tournament's defending champions scored twice to snatch a miraculous late victory. Argentina will now meet Spain in New Jersey on Sunday for the chance to become the first country to repeat as champions since Brazil in 1962.

在对阵阿根廷的比赛中，英格兰队以1球领先，比赛已进行到85分钟，看似即将自1966年以来首次重返世界杯决赛。然而，卫冕冠军连续两记凶猛的“重拳”袭来，在最后时刻连入两球，神奇地逆转获胜。 阿根廷队将于周日在纽泽西与西班牙队会师决赛，争夺自1962年巴西队以来首个卫冕冠军的机会。

Inevitably, it was Lionel Messi—playing against England for the first time—who conjured the knockout blow. The Argentina captain wriggled free on the right wing before producing a cross that was headed home at point-blank range by Lautaro Martínez. The breakthrough sent the wall of Argentina fans behind the goal into a frenzy, while England's shellshocked players collapsed to the turf.

不出所料，正是首次对阵英格兰的莱昂内尔·梅西，使出了这致命一击。 这位阿根廷队长在右翼摆脱防守后送出传中，劳塔罗·马丁内斯在咫尺之遥头球破门。 这一进球让球门后那片阿根廷球迷的看台陷入疯狂，而英格兰队遭受重创的球员们则瘫倒在草皮上。

They had barely recovered from the equalizer seven minutes earlier, a curling strike from the edge of the area from Enzo Fernández that seemed to suck the self-belief from England. The Three Lions had dropped back, convinced that they could withstand anything Argentina threw at them. Instead, they broke when it mattered most, touching off delirious scenes from Atlanta to Buenos Aires.

而他们几乎还未从7分钟前的扳平球中回过神来——恩佐·费尔南德斯在禁区边缘的一脚弧线球破门，似乎抽走了英格兰队的全部自信。 三狮军团已经全线退守，坚信自己能够顶住阿根廷队的任何攻势。 然而，在最关键的时刻，他们却崩溃了，从亚特兰大到布宜诺斯艾利斯，到处都洋溢着狂欢的景象。

"We were so close but couldn't keep the level up after we scored," England head coach Thomas Tuchel said. "We couldn't win any balls, we couldn't keep the ball. The match changed completely."

英格兰队主教练托马斯·图赫尔表示：“我们曾如此接近胜利，但在进球后没能保持住水准。 我们抢不到球，也控不住球。 比赛形势完全逆转了。”

Fernández's strike immediately soared to the top of the list of most heartbreaking goals England had ever conceded. It joined Mikel Oyarzabal's 86th-minute winner in the final of Euro 2024, Mario Mandzukic's extra-time header in the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup, and any number of German penalty kicks.

费尔南德斯的这粒进球立即升至英格兰队史最令人心碎失球榜单的首位。 它与2024年欧洲杯决赛中米克尔·奥亚萨瓦尔在第86分钟的绝杀、2018年世界杯半决赛中马里奥·曼朱基奇在加时赛的头球，以及无数来自德国人的点球并列。

But in Argentina, the victory conjured memories of famous wins over their old enemy, handed down like epic tales to a generation of players that wasn't even born when they took place. Antonio Rattin's foul-mouthed ejection at Wembley Stadium in 1966, Diego Maradona's divine deception in 1986, and the political backdrop of the 1982 war for control of the Falkland Islands.

但在阿根廷，这场胜利唤起了人们对战胜这个老对手的经典战役的记忆——这些故事像史诗传说一样代代相传，传给了那些在发生时甚至还没出生的新一代球员。 1966年温布利球场安东尼奥·拉廷因出言不逊被罚下，1986年迭戈·马拉多纳的“上帝之手”和“世纪进球”，以及1982年马岛战争的政治背景。

To most other countries, bringing up a 44-year-old military conflict on the soccer pitch might seem out of place. But as Argentina celebrated, the players unfurled a flag in front of the goal bearing the inscription, "Las Malvinas son Argentinas."

对大多数其他国家来说，在足球场上提起一场44年前的军事冲突似乎不合时宜。 但在阿根廷人庆祝时，球员们在球门后展开一面旗帜，上面写着：“马尔维纳斯群岛属于阿根廷。”

The reality was that England spent much of the afternoon as the better side. Its plan to contain Messi had worked. And after 55 cagey minutes, in which England and Argentina sized each other up without landing a body blow, the Three Lions took the lead.

事实上，英格兰队在比赛的大部分时间里都表现更出色。 他们限制梅西的计划奏效了。 在谨慎的55分钟里，两队相互试探，均未给予致命一击，随后三狮军团率先打破僵局。

Harry Kane chipped a ball forward, only for it to be intercepted and land at the feet of Declan Rice. He played it wide to Morgan Rogers, whose cross was then turned in by Anthony Gordon at the far post. For one brief moment, England had silenced the raucous crowd in sky blue and white.

哈里·凯恩一脚挑传向前，球被拦截后落在德克兰·赖斯脚下。 他将球分给边路的摩根·罗杰斯，后者传中，安东尼·戈登在后点将球打进。 在那一刻，英格兰队让身穿蓝白条纹衫的喧嚣球迷陷入了沉寂。

The Argentine fans had been so loud since before kickoff that they entirely drowned out the playing of "God Save the King." Now, 1-0 down with a little over half an hour to play, they willed their side back into the game, whistling mercilessly at the back of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

阿根廷球迷从开球前就声嘶力竭地呐喊，甚至完全盖过了《天佑国王》的演奏声。而现在，比赛还剩半小时多一点，他们1球落后，于是用尽全身力气为球队呐喊助威，同时毫不留情地向门将乔丹·皮克福德身后发出嘘声。

Gordon's goal was the product of nearly 60 minutes of positive, progressive play from England, who pressed Argentina high up the field and charged forward at every opportunity. Then, just as soon as it arrived, all of that went out the window.

戈登的进球是英格兰队近60分钟积极而富有侵略性打法的成果。他们在前场对阿根廷队进行高压逼抢，抓住每一次机会向前冲锋。 然而，就在进球刚刚到来之后，这一切便烟消云散。

In a development that will be achingly familiar to anyone who has watched this country's travails at major tournaments over the past half-century, England responded to the breakthrough by retreating deeper and deeper into its own territory. The attacks dried up, clearances were launched aimlessly upfield, and its hold on the game was steadily surrendered. In the final 35 minutes after England went ahead, Argentina held 88% of possession.

对于任何在过去半个世纪里看过这支球队在国际大赛中屡屡受挫的人来说，接下来的发展将是无比熟悉的：英格兰队在进球后不断后撤，越撤越深。 进攻枯竭了，解围球漫无目的地开向前场，对比赛的控制逐渐拱手相让。 在英格兰队领先后最后的35分钟里，阿根廷队占据了88%的控球率。

Still, it looked as though England's backs-to-the-wall show of resistance might get the Three Lions over the line.

尽管如此，英格兰队背水一战的顽强抵抗似乎仍有可能帮助他们坚持到最后。

In the face of a sustained bombardment, as England's players strained to hear each other over the din, they held their nerve. Djed Spence celebrated tackles like he'd scored. Kane defended inside his own penalty area. Pickford parried every attempt in his airspace. History felt mere minutes away.

面对阿根廷队持续的狂轰滥炸，在震耳欲聋的喧嚣中几乎听不见彼此呼喊的英格兰球员们，顶住了压力。 杰德·斯彭斯像进球一样庆祝自己的每一次抢断。 凯恩在本方禁区内防守。 皮克福德挡下了他防区内每一次射门。 历史似乎只有几分钟之遥。

Or nearly. Before the equalizer, Argentina had hit the post twice, but both times the ball stayed out. It was enough to give England a glimmer of hope that 60 years of evil luck might finally be turning.

或者说，几乎只有几分钟之遥。 在扳平比分之前，阿根廷队曾两次击中门柱，但球都没有进。 这足以给英格兰队一丝希望——也许60年的厄运终于要开始扭转了。

Instead, it was merely prologue to the most familiar feeling in the long, tortured, and endlessly repeating history of English soccer.

然而，这不过是序幕罢了，预示着在英格兰足球漫长、痛苦且不断重演的历史中，那个最为熟悉的感受即将到来。