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401 stories ·BBC Sport
Families heartbroken by England's World Cup woes

World Cup News

Families heartbroken by England's World Cup woes

England fans have described their heartbreak after the Three Lions slipped to defeat in the World Cup semi final. Two late goals by holders Argentina saw Thomas Tuchel's side lose 2-1 in Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday. Families who gathered at Brantham Leisure Centre in Suffolk to watch the action said they were "gutted" by the result. "It's the usual, I'm afraid. Sit back and they lose," said Clive Gore, 72, who watched the game with his son, Andy. Edie, who was among the children granted a late night, said: "I'm just devastated. "We were doing so well, then we just have to slip up in defence in the last couple of minutes." Amelia and Imogen both said they were inspired by England's progress in the US-hosted tournament. "It's sad, but they made it really far though," Imogen said. Amelia, who plays football locally with her friend, added: "I'm a bit disappointed, but they tried their best and that's all you can ask for." England were on course for their first men's World Cup final since 1966 after Anthony Gordon's 55th minute goal sparked jubilant scenes in Brantham and across the nation. However, goals from Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez, who struck in injury time, ended the Three Lions' World Cup dream. "It's heartbreaking. I've been looking forward to it all year," one fan said. "We've done so well. New team, new manager, [it] just didn't come home in the end, but we're still supporting." Eleven-year-old Taylor, who watched with his friend Stanley, said despite the result, it was still a great night. He added: "A very fun experience to have, the joy, the fun, but the unlucky joy of not winning." Do you have a story suggestion for Suffolk? Contact us below. Contact formContact form Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds , Facebook , external , Instagram , external and X , external . England suffer World Cup semi-final heartbreak with loss to Argentina SportThe family rooting for England and Argentina 🎧 The Blue Hour - Young gives his thoughts on England

world-cup-2026
Source: BBC Sport WC
Thu, 16 Jul 2026
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'Passive' and 'crumbled' - did Tuchel's defensive tactics cost England?

World Cup News

'Passive' and 'crumbled' - did Tuchel's defensive tactics cost England?

Comments England were on the cusp of reaching their first men's World Cup final since 1966. They were 1-0 up against reigning world champions Argentina when the clock inside Atlanta Stadium ticked to 84 minutes - and then it all went horribly wrong. Enzo Fernandez equalised with a thumping strike in the 85th minute before Lautaro Martinez headed a 92nd-minute winner - both goals coming from assists by Lionel Messi. Just like that, England's World Cup dreams lay in ruins. They had worked so hard to take the lead through Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute - and then sat back and paid the price. The decision by England boss Thomas Tuchel to go defensive backfired spectacularly. Instead it is Argentina who go through to Sunday's showpiece against Spain at New York New Jersey Stadium (20:00 BST kick-off). But should England have gone for the kill when they went 1-0 up? They did not - and had just 12% of possession from going ahead to conceding the second goal. Tuchel only sent on forwards Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney deep into stoppage time, while defenders Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and Nico O'Reilly were introduced after the Three Lions took the lead. "We have crumbled," former England captain Wayne Rooney told BBC Sport. "It started from the manager and the decisions he made. It was too passive. "Against this team, the world champions, you will not get away with it. This has been the biggest test and we have failed it." So why did England sit back when in control against Argentina? And are Tuchel's second-half tactics to blame for England's failure to make the final? Tuchel retains FA backing despite England defeat 'Coaching catastrophe' - SuttonEngland have showed character at this World Cup, coming from behind to defeat both DR Congo at the last-32 stage and Norway in the quarter-finals. "The difference is hanging on against Norway or Mexico [in the last 16], they have not got the quality this Argentina team have got in terms of the ability on the ball and the ability they have to punish you," former England captain Alan Shearer told BBC Sport. "Tuchel played his cards very, very early and it has backfired." England looked to have taken full control of the semi-final against their old foes when Gordon put them ahead 10 minutes into the second half. England's fans celebrated wildly - but then the Three Lions opted to sit back and defend. "The fact that England got themselves in front and then basically handed Argentina the initiative... that was a coaching catastrophe from Thomas Tuchel," Chris Sutton, a Premier League winner with Blackburn in 1994-95, told BBC Radio 5 Live. "You can't expect to defend for 30 minutes against the quality Argentina had. "It's all on the coach where I am concerned. He made the changes. He was negative, so the question which I'm going to ask is 'how can you trust Thomas Tuchel to take this team forward?'" England have come undone against Argentina in the past. Who can forget Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' goal at the 1986 World Cup or the 1998 World Cup defeat that burns so deep. England, however, have no-one but themselves to blame for Wednesday's loss. "Norway and Mexico panicked against England," former England goalkeeper Joe Hart told BBC Sport. "I didn't see one bit of panic from that Argentina side. I saw belief, I saw the realising they could free up the great man Lionel Messi in the pocket, and they were running all over England. "Gareth Southgate took a lot of criticism for the big moments with England, when they had the lead in big games and shut up shop. I don't see that anything has changed in that big moment out there." So what were the changes that frustrated England fans so much? Leading 1-0, many expected Tuchel to go for another goal - but instead the German made three defensive changes. He brought Konsa on for Gordon in the 72nd minute - switching to a back five - before bringing on further defensive reinforcements 10 minutes later in Burn and O'Reilly. Tuchel sent on forward Rashford and Toney in added time, but it proved too little too late. "I felt the changes we made at 1-0, that if Argentina scored we wouldn't make extra time," added Rooney. Former England defender Micah Richards told BBC Sport: "When England scored that first goal they should have gone for the second. "Yes, you respect their quality, but dropping deep allowed Argentina to get into their flow." Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, said Tuchel went too deep too soon, "I think he has got that wrong," added Robinson, who won 41 caps for England between 2003 and2007. "He has got a lot of decisions right, but I think trying to defend a lead against this team was a wrong choice." Even Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez admitted there was a change in momentum after the opening goal as England sat back and looked to defend. "Sometimes when you are winning, you have to go forward," added Martinez. "You can't change the gameplan. I think they did it and they sent on extra defenders." Tuchel, of course, has improved on England's showing at the 2022 World Cup, when they reached the quarter-finals before bowing out to France. But this England team is sprinkled with exceptional individual talent like Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. England captain Kane, who will be approaching his 36th birthday at the next World Cup, suggested his side could have done more. "When we went 1-0 up we seemed to try and hold on, which at this level is not enough," said the England captain. "[I am] just gutted because we've worked so hard to be here and the lads have given every last bit of running, blood, sweat, tears. "We pressed them well, we put them under loads of pressure high up the pitch which then allowed us to win balls and control the game a bit better. "After the goal, whether it was them putting more men forward or us not being able to match them man for man, it was just wave after wave. "The lads were putting blocks in but, in the end, it just wasn't enough." What information do we collect from this quiz?'Tuchel got it wrong - he has to accept that'Asked in his post-match news conference if he made wrong decisions against Argentina, Tuchel defended himself and said: "No, I believe it's just the nature of the game. As soon as you lose you get criticised, it's just what it is. "In the moment, no regrets. The team gave everything and we were very, very close. "We played one of our better matches, maybe our best match in the circumstances. "The team was top, we couldn't get over the line. "I think we saw the mentality throughout the match and the strong group. We played the matches how they were, we played against strong teams in the group, travelled a lot of miles, played at altitude, we played with 10 men, we played in the heat and we overcame every obstacle. "We were very close today. It's not the moment to analyse the full tournament." Despite reaching the semi-finals, Tuchel's tactics and choices will be criticised for days to come after failing to make the final, despite taking the lead. "I love Thomas Tuchel," added former England defender Richards to BBC Sport. "I love how brave he is. Tonight, on the biggest stage, he got it wrong, and he has to accept that."

world-cup-2026
Source: BBC Sport WC
Thu, 16 Jul 2026
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'The decisions Tuchel made cost England'Video

World Cup News

'The decisions Tuchel made cost England'

BBC Sport World Cup pundits Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart and Micah Richards believe England head coach Thomas Tuchel's tactical decisions cost the team in their 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina.

world-cup-2026
Source: BBC Sport WC
Wed, 15 Jul 2026
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What age gives a squad best chance to win World Cup?

World Cup News

What age gives a squad best chance to win World Cup?

Of the 22 teams to have won the World Cup, 19 of them had an average age between 26 and 28 when doing so. That will be welcome news to England, France and Spain, whose average ages of their starting 11s at this World Cup all fit that age bracket. If you listed the average starting ages of the 22 World Cup-winning teams of the past, the median average is 27 years and 57 days old. Should Argentina go on to win the tournament, they would do so as one of the oldest sides to become World Cup champions. The average starting age of their starting 11 against Switzerland was 30.5 years old, with their team consisting of five players aged 32 or older. Lionel Messi, 39, is among them. Across the whole tournament, the age of Argentina's starting 11 has an average of 29 years and 302 days, although the last two sides to take the field have had an average age above 30. Only one team has won the World Cup with an average age of 29 or older. That was Brazil in 1962, whose average age of their starting 11s throughout the tournament was 30 years and 204 days. Just two nations have won a World Cup with a tournament starting 11 average age below 26. Argentina in 1978 (25 years, 195 days) and France in 2018 (25 years, 326 days) are the two youngest average starting 11s to win a World Cup. Contact formContact formHow does England's squad compare to World Cup winning ages?Of England's squad in North America, just two are aged 27 years old. Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah is the closest to the median age of being a starting member of a World Cup-winning side. He will be 27 years and 14 days old on the day of the final, should England get there. However, Chalobah is yet to feature at the tournament. Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice, who has started five of England's six matches so far, is 27-and-a-half, meaning he is the closest of England's regular players this summer to being at median World Cup-winning age. Jude Bellingham, Elliot Anderson, Jarell Quansah, Morgan Rogers and James Trafford are all aged 23. At the 2030 World Cup in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, the quintet will have turned 27, meaning they are at prime World Cup-winning age. Of the 26-man squad, seven are aged between 26 and 28. That is the age that has produced 86.4% of World Cup average starting ages. Based on average ages of starting 11s at the 2026 World Cup so far, England have the youngest team of the four semi-finalists. They have averaged 26 years and 255 days old in their starting line-ups. Spain (26 years, 271 days), who play France in Tuesday's first semi-final, also have a median age below 27. France have the second-oldest squad of the remaining four, but are also close to prime age with an average age so far of 27 years and 194 days. This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.

world-cup-2026
Source: BBC Sport WC
Tue, 14 Jul 2026
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