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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 formFollow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, external, Instagram, external and X, external.England suffer World Cup semi-final heartbreak with loss to ArgentinaSportThe family rooting for England and Argentina🎧 The Blue Hour - Young gives his thoughts on England

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Close210Defender Marc Guehi says England should have "carried on pushing" after Anthony Gordon put the Three Lions ahead against Argentina.Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated topicsFootballFollow Footballclose panelYou are now following FootballUpdates from your Sport topics will appear in My Sport and in a collection on the Sport homepage.England Men's Football TeamFollow England Men's Football Teamclose panelYou are now following England Men's Football TeamUpdates from your Sport topics will appear in My Sport and in a collection on the Sport homepage.FIFA World Cup 2026Follow FIFA World Cup 2026

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The rules are simple. Each day there's a new footballer and the challenge is to guess who they are in as few attempts as possible.After each wrong guess you unlock a new clue. Guess the answer after as few clues as possible to score more points.Three is a good score, four or five points is exceptional.So take part and return for more tomorrow.Today's player and clues set by BBC Sport's Huzaifah Khan.After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Football Quizzes and Sports Quizzes pages and sign up for notifications to get the latest quizzes sent straight to your device.What information do we collect from this quiz?Related topicsFootballFIFA World Cup 2026Play more quizzesAll our Who Am I? quizzes in one placeQuiz: Name every nation at the Fifa World Cup 2026Can you name the 10 Lionesses with most England caps?World Cup quiz: Name these top nations' leading scorers

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Chief football writer in AtlantaPublished2 hours ago189 CommentsEngland's years of hurt will now stretch beyond 60, but the late collapse to a World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina may just be the most painful wound of all.The clock inside the magnificent Atlanta Stadium showed England were five minutes of normal time away from ending the wait for a men's World Cup final that stretches back to 1966, when they lifted the Jules Rimet trophy at Wembley.England's players and head coach Thomas Tuchel had immortality in their hands as they led through Anthony Gordon's 55th-minute goal.Their grasp, however, was being loosened by catastrophic decision making from Tuchel that instigated wave after wave of Argentina attacks orchestrated by Lionel Messi.One goal seemed inevitable - and it came from Enzo Fernandez in the 85th minute.Then, with England on the ropes, they were floored by Lautaro Martinez's injury-time header.England could not come back, so a stunned football nation wakes up to another desperate near-miss from this nearly team.Tuchel's unique selling point when he succeeded Sir Gareth Southgate was the idea he would win matches his predecessor could not.That he would not be gripped by the caution Southgate was criticised for when losing the last two Euros finals to Italy and Spain, as well as the 2018 World Cup semi-final to Croatia.The thinking was that Tuchel would drive England over the line, whereas Southgate supposedly retreated from it.And yet, when it counted and the pressure was at its height, Tuchel produced the sort of tactical retreat - and loss - that would have seen Southgate pilloried.Instead, it will now be Tuchel getting the criticism for that decision - and rightly so.The Football Association went for a quick-fix appointment to succeed Southgate after Euro 2024, bringing in a proven winner whose sole mission was to win the 2026 World Cup, or put "a second star on the shirt" as Tuchel called it.A semi-final can only rank as par, and, in the harshest light, a failure, because he was brought in to make sure England did not have any more hard-luck stories or disappointments.And, as with Southgate, Tuchel has still not guided England to victory against a side there were not high expectations they would beat.There will be recriminations about how Tuchel engineered England's defeat mainly by his own hand, effectively repeating everything that brought Southgate so much criticism.Once Gordon put England ahead in this latest stormy episode of an old and bitter rivalry, Tuchel decided on a rearguard action.That had worked for England in their knockout wins over Mexico and Norway - but it would not against a Messi-inspired Argentina.Tuchel replaced goalscorer Gordon with defender Ezri Konsa with 18 minutes left and switched to a back five. He then brought Nico O'Reilly and Dan Burn on for Declan Rice and Reece James.It was clear almost instantly that Tuchel had called it badly. It did nothing but invite Argentine pressure and those late goals. This one was almost all on Tuchel.If there was one statistic that brutally condemned his approach, it was that England only had 12% possession between taking the lead and Martinez's winning goal nearly 40 minutes later.Such was England's sudden attacking need in the closing moments that Tuchel threw on Ivan Toney after 96 minutes - his first appearance of the tournament.Toney's "blink and you'll miss it" cap also brought some of Tuchel's selections under scrutiny. Was Toney simply picked for a penalty shootout that never came?And the debate around Tuchel's defensive picks, especially at right-back, will continue to rage.Tuchel gambled on the injury-prone Reece James staying fit - but when the Chelsea defender was sidelined with a hamstring issue, right-back suddenly became a problem position.The position turned into musical chairs between Jarell Quansah - injured against Panama then sent off against Mexico - Djed Spence and Ezri Konsa before James was back for the semi-final.All this while Trent Alexander-Arnold watched from afar, his natural gifts ignored by Tuchel on the basis of defensive frailty.And as the ashes are raked over, Tuchel's decision to ignore the creativity of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden - easy to say with hindsight given both had poor seasons with Chelsea and Manchester City - and Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White will be revisited.Jordan Henderson, whose tournament ended in bizarre circumstances when he broke an arm amid the celebrations after the win against Mexico, was taken for his influence around the squad but was never going to be a serious on-field performer.If Tuchel valued his professionalism and personality so much in this area, why not take Henderson on his backroom staff and open up a place for a younger, more creative player?This was a desperate day for England - and Tuchel and his tactical approach.A day when it could easily have been said, as the song goes: "Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss."'Passive' and 'crumbled' - did Tuchel's defensive tactics cost England?This was not because it was against the old adversary Argentina, with all the history and iconic imagery that evokes, who created such obvious despair among England's players and supporters.It was because this will be forever a World Cup semi-final of "what ifs" against an Argentina side that has looked beatable all tournament, but who simply refuse to lose.This was the World Cup semi-final, the latest big chance to challenge for the sport's greatest prize in New Jersey on Sunday.England were within minutes of crossing the barrier that has proved insurmountable for six decades, only to stumble again.Gordon's goal looked to have finally given England a measure of control in an occasionally brutal game - and even after they ceded control and possession, the finishing line was in sight until they finally crumbled.Given the stage, this is a defeat that will be pored over more - and leave more regret - than any other.England will always have that momentous, spine-tingling night at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, when they dug deep to beat co-hosts Mexico 3-2 in the last 16.It was one of their great World Cup wins, when Jude Bellingham proved his world-class credentials and Tuchel's changes and gameplan suggested he just might be the strategist to take England all the way.Bellingham is joined in that elite class by captain Harry Kane, but the Bayern Munich striker will feel the pain of this exit more acutely than most because he will be 36 by the time the next World Cup comes around.England have shown reserves of character to come from behind against DR Congo in the last 32 then Norway in the quarter-final, but the times when they truly flowed have been few and far between.The manner of this crushing loss to Argentina will have England and their fans wondering if the major tournament curse will ever end.The recovery will need to be quick with a Nations League fixture at home to World Cup finalists Spain - who beat the Three Lions in the Euro 2024 final - in September.The FA and Tuchel's relationship was initially just to the end of this World Cup, but in February he was handed an extension to take him through to Euro 2028.It was a surprise and a heavy financial commitment by the FA, especially as they did not know how the World Cup would work out.Tuchel's tournament cannot be judged as a total success, but he has the FA's backing to lead the team into the next Euros.England will have to undergo an element of rebuilding, with the outstanding John Stones surely at the end of his international career. And will Tuchel keep faith with Marcus Rashford?Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is 32 so should continue, but potential successors need to be found.Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson can be the midfield bedrock for years, while a fully-fit Bukayo Saka will be another huge asset.Tuchel still has the talents of Foden, Palmer and Gibbs-White to consider, as well as Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton, while Liverpool's 17-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha showed what a glittering future he has in the World Cup warm-up games in Miami.There is also the prodigious talent of Arsenal 16-year-old winger Max Dowman, another example of how England's future can be bright.For now, however, the pain of the loss to Argentina, and the manner of it, will take some getting over for England and Tuchel.Argentina shatter England's World Cup dreams in semi-finalTuchel retains FA backing despite England defeat'The change didn't work' - England player ratings

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Thomas Tuchel was England's gambler. A squad few others would have picked. A backs-to-the-wall win over Mexico. Starting Morgan Rogers based on "a feeling from the coach".But ultimately, one bet too many from the Three Lions' head coach has cost them their place in a World Cup final.The stage was set to write history. A first-half where Lionel Messi barely left Elliot Anderson's pocket, and England refused to be drawn into Argentina's provocation.The first draft was being written when Anthony Gordon fired home from 10 minutes into the second period from Rogers' cross - vindicating the latest of Tuchel's gut instincts. Football felt like it might actually be coming home.But in seven short minutes, everything fell apart. In reality, it all hung on one moment. Ezri Konsa's introduction and England's withdrawal to a back five with more than 20 minutes to play against the reigning World Cup champions is easy to criticise in hindsight, but it felt just as questionable the moment Gordon was called back to the bench.Where Tuchel promised things would be different, we have all seen this one before. England's natural inclination to hold onto a lead - and various incidences of them failing to do so - was one of the sternest criticisms of Gareth Southgate's era but has dogged them far longer. England have now scored first in seven of the last 13 knock-out games they have lost in the last 30 years.It felt depressingly familiar as they saw just 17 per cent of the ball and had nine touches in the Argentina half in the quarter of an hour after Gordon's goal, inspiring Tuchel to introduce Konsa. The freeze had begun to set in, though Nico Gonzalez's header aside the World Cup holders had still had not forced Jordan Pickford into a meaningful save.World Cup 2026 fixture schedule - your day-by-day guideSure, something needed changing. This is where Tuchel was employed to see through the noise and gauge the mood of what his side needed, making the unenviable choices which had to that point served him well.England had appointed him as a winner. At half-time of the opening game of the tournament he told his players: "I don't care if you lose, so long as you lose playing our way." But he betrayed that courage of his own conviction, as he, like his players, looked to hold on to what England had instead of refinding themselves to kill the game.Not only did that simple change in shape and personnel compound England's defensive anxiousness, it robbed them of their most direct out ball by removing Gordon - their most in-form forward beyond Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane and their most potent option on the counter-attack.Between Konsa's introduction and Lautaro Martinez's winner 21 minutes later, the Three Lions' possession numbers dropped to 7.2 per cent. They managed only seven passes in the opposition half and failed to deliver a single cross, with Tuchel's initial game plan to exploit Argentina's lack of width completely stifled by his own means.The head coach attempted to use Djed Spence and Reece James as bombing wing-backs in the 3-4-3 he has favoured for much of his career but he is long in the tooth enough to know that already seeing so little of the ball, they would likely be forced back into the 5-4-1 which soon unfolded before him.As it transpired, James and Spence managed only one touch in the Argentina half between them in the rest of the game.Without more bodies up the pitch, England handed the ball to a team with the best player of all time itching to get on it. To a team who knows how and when to seize the moment. If Argentina's comeback was not inevitable from that point, it was certainly predictable."We were too passive after we scored," Tuchel eventually admitted. Shortly after his appointment last year he had criticised England's Euro 2024 campaign, saying Southgate and his squad had been "more afraid to drop out of the tournament than having the excitement and hunger to win it". You wonder whether he might have similar reflections on this performance in the cold light of day.Wave after wave of Argentina attacks followed Konsa's arrival. England had no way out. Kane had seemingly still not recovered from running himself into the ground at the Azteca nine days ago, while Rogers had just a single touch between the change in shape and Martinez's winner. As mentioned, Gordon could only watch on from the bench.Beyond that, Konsa failed to win possession back for his side in the 29 minutes he was on the pitch, did not compete for a single header - and lost the ball five times.Tuchel has previously realised when his changes are not having the desired effect and had the bravery to switch things around.Bellingham dropped back into midfield before returning to No 10 against Norway when his influence was nullified, but here the head coach appeared as frozen as his players - bringing on Dan Burn and Nico O'Reilly to further shore up the defence instead of choosing more attacking alternatives when it was long clear the tide was turning against his side.Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney got four minutes to make a difference from the bench. Bukayo Saka and Ollie Watkins were not even afforded that.Captain Kane refused to criticise Tuchel's tactics after the game but made his feelings clear enough when speaking to BBC Sport. "At this level, holding on isn't enough," he said wryly.Perhaps Tuchel had been emboldened by the way England masterfully saw out victory with 10 men at the Azteca barely a week ago. But that would be naive against incomparable opponents.Mexico had made their intentions clear after England were reduced to 10 men that they would send balls into the box - and it played into the Three Lions' hands.Conversely, Argentina had one of the greatest players of all time ready to strike. And that he did, making both of Argentina's goals..Tuchel was employed to take things to the next level. Under Southgate, England beat the teams they were meant to beat and came unstuck when they were underdogs. In that regard, nothing has changed.In time it may be easier to reflect on how that rousing half-time intervention against Croatia, some bold attacking changes and one well-timed defensive intervention promised hope that Tuchel's in-game management might prove the missing piece of the puzzle sadly lacking through the previous regime. Perhaps it will at Euro 2028.It is a painful irony that instead it is one throw of the dice too far, and a reversion to the football Tuchel had promised to end which will now haunt him, and England, for at least the next two years.

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Thomas Tuchel says he will stay on to lead England into Euro 2028 despite their World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina.England were denied a spot in the nation's first World Cup final since 1966 as Argentina came from behind to beat Tuchel's side in Atlanta.Anthony Gordon put England in dreamland before Argentina took control, with Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez breaking English hearts late on.Tuchel, who was appointed head coach in January 2025, penned an extension on his initial deal earlier this year through to Euro 2028. The tournament will be co-hosted by England, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.Asked a direct question as to whether he'd be staying on after the World Cup, Tuchel said: "We keep on going with the contract until the home Euros."I'm looking forward to that even though right now it's difficult to look that far ahead."England will now remain in the US as they prepare for a third-place play-off match against France in Miami on Saturday. Tuchel added that even though it's a game they'd rather not be a part of, reaching their second semi-final in eight years was an achievement for England.World Cup 2026 fixture schedule - your day-by-day guide2026 World Cup dates, venues and expanded format"We have to wait for four years (to go again at another World Cup). In itself it's an achievement, of course it's a semi-final. A lot of big footballing nations are eliminated before the semi-final. It is an achievement, no one wants to hear that at the moment, me neither, because we demand the most of ourselves because we are so competitive. The nature of being so competitive puts the next game into perspective."None of our players or none of the French players want to play in this match. They want to play in the final; we gave everything to be in the final. Everyone plays to win the World Cup, but it is what it is. We have a day less than France to recover but we will do it professionally."The thing for us is to bounce back and react. That's what you have to do at the highest level of sport and that we will do."England captain Harry Kane admitted trying to hold on to a 1-0 lead backfired as their World Cup hopes were ended by Argentina's late show."I'm gutted," Kane said. "Once we went 1-0 up we seemed to just try and hold on which at this level is just not enough, so I'm gutted."We worked so hard to be here. The lads have given every last bit of running, sweat, blood, tears, whatever it is, so to fall short like today is just gutting."Kane claimed the message from Tuchel and his staff was to keep pushing after Gordon's goal, but it felt as though England increasingly retreated, inviting the pressure which Argentina turned to their advantage."We struggled to get pressure on the ball (after the goal)," he said. "I thought especially in the first half and at the start of the second half we pressed them well, put them under loads of pressure, especially high up the pitch, which allowed us to win balls and control the game a little bit better."After the goal, whether they were putting more men forward or us not being able to match them man-to-man, it was just wave after wave. The lads were putting blocks in but in the end it was not enough."The boys were always ready for any moment in the game. When we went ahead, the messaging was to go again and get another goal. Once they scored their two goals, it was to try and find something, but we couldn't find any momentum to get back in the game."Kane added: "We've had a lot of good moments in this tournament. We've had a lot of good games, another semi-final. We talk about knocking on the door. We're close. We just need to find that missing piece."These tournaments take it out of you. There's so much effort, pressure, mentality. We've shown a lot of that in the last six, seven weeks we've been together. We're just missing that final piece."

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England captain Harry Kane admitted trying to hold on to a 1-0 lead backfired as their World Cup hopes were ended by Argentina's late show in a 2-1 semi-final defeat.Anthony Gordon fired England into a 55th-minute lead but Argentina wrestled the momentum in the game, and this time Thomas Tuchel's substitutions did not work as Lionel Messi laid on late goals for Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez to turn it around."I'm gutted," Kane said. "I'm gutted for the boys, I'm gutted for everyone, the team, the staff, the fans. We played a good game for the large majority of it."Once we went 1-0 up we seemed to just try and hold on which at this level is just not enough, so I'm gutted."We worked so hard to be here. The lads have given every last bit of running, sweat, blood, tears, whatever it is, so to fall short like today is just gutting."Kane claimed the message from Tuchel and his staff was to keep pushing after Gordon's goal, but it felt as though England increasingly retreated, inviting the pressure which Argentina turned to their advantage."We struggled to get pressure on the ball (after the goal)," he said. "I thought especially in the first half and at the start of the second half we pressed them well, put them under loads of pressure, especially high up the pitch which allowed us to win balls and control the game a little bit better.85, 90+2! Argentina's late show breaks England hearts to end World Cup dreamEngland player ratings: Spence shines but Bellingham, Rice and Kane fail to deliver"After the goal, whether they were putting more men forward or us not being able to match them man-to-man, it was just wave after wave. The lads were putting blocks in but in the end it was not enough."The boys were always ready for any moment in the game. When we went ahead the messaging was to go again and get another goal. Once they scored their two goals it was to try and find something but we couldn't find any momentum to get back in the game."Kane added: "We've had a lot of good moments in this tournament. We've had a lot of good games, another semi-final. We talk about knocking on the door. We're close. We just need to find that missing piece."These tournaments take it out of you. There's so much effort, pressure, mentality. We've shown a lot of that in the last six, seven weeks we've been together. We're just missing that final piece."Tuchel described his England side as "too passive" after going ahead against Argentina but insisted he had "no regrets" over his tactical decisions in the defeat."We're disappointed but we got too passive after we scored and conceded a lot of chances and could not turn the ball possession around," Tuchel said. "We just conceded so many crosses and chances and shots. We were close but we couldn't keep the level up after we scored."Asked about his substitutions, Tuchel insisted the issue was not structural."Of course we wanted to go for the second goal but I did not have the feeling that offensive substitutions would help," he said. "We stayed in our 4-4-2 but we became passive, more and more passive."We couldn't win any balls, we couldn't keep the ball, so I think it was not a structural problem, we changed nothing. But the match changed completely."It's no problem, I can understand these discussions are out there and there are millions of coaches after the game who know it better."But even as criticism quickly followed from pundits and fans, Tuchel insisted he had no regrets."The team gave everything," he said. "We were very, very close. I think we deserved to be 1-0 up. We played one of our better matches, maybe the best match in the circumstances. It was tough. We couldn't bring it over the line. No regrets."Former England striker Chris Sutton: "It was a coaching catastrophe from Thomas Tuchel. The fact that England get themselves in front and then basically hand Argentina the initiative, defending deep, another defender on."It's quite a simple game football, you have to get up the pitch. You can't expect to defend for 30 minutes against the quality Argentina have and keep giving the ball back to them, that's what England did and it's all on the coach as far as I'm concerned."Former England captain Alan Shearer: "England had six defenders on the pitch, (he) played his hand and wanted to hang on. Hanging on vs Norway and Mexico.. they perhaps don't have the quality Argentina have in terms of ability on ball and to punish, plus their attitude. He played his cards very early in the hope he could hang on and it backfired. Those decisions are the ones which can make such as difference."Former England striker Wayne Rooney: "We have to be honest. The decisions Thomas Tuchel made have cost England. If you're an attacking player on that pitch and you go 1-0 up and you see the changes which the manager's making, you're losing belief, there's only so many times you can get away with it. Then you start thinking, oh no we're going to sit back for this long, how are we going to get through this?"Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart: "I don't see anything's changed in that big moment out there. Thomas Tuchel, for as much praise as we've given him, for him to change it as soon as he did, I think he realised that's him saying he didn't believe in his team, he didn't think they could land any more punches on Argentina."Former England striker Michael Owen compared England's performance to that of finalists Spain, who claimed a 2-0 victory over France in their final-four clash on Tuesday.In a post on his official X account, Michael Owen said: "Watch Spain at 1-0 last night. That's courage. That's bravery. And then watch England at 1-0. What's the difference? We are a better team than Argentina, I've no doubt in my mind. But we deserved to get beat in the end. In fact, it could have been 4-1. Bringing on three defenders at 1-0 up. What message does that send? Until we understand that courage and bravery is controlling possession under pressure and not booting / heading it up the field 40 yards then this will always be the end result."

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CommentsEngland 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."

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15 CommentsFor the second time in eight years, England's men led a World Cup semi-final. But for Croatia in 2018, read Argentina in 2026.England went ahead in the 55th minute of Wednesday's game in Atlanta, when Anthony Gordon finished from Morgan Rogers' cross.But late goals from Enzo Fernandez and - in the second minute of injury time - Lautaro Martinez meant the Three Lions missed out on their first men's World Cup final appearance since 1966.And Dan Burn, who was roared on to the field as a second-half substitute with the score 1-0, summed up the feelings of the England players."Gutted," said the Newcastle defender. "Absolutely gutted."We nailed the gameplan pretty well. To go 1-0 up... then we got too passive, conceded too many crosses and too many chances."When you're playing a team of that quality, it is going to cost you. This will haunt me for a long time, I think."England had produced resolute displays in the previous two rounds - beating Mexico 3-2 in the last 16 despite playing most of the second half with 10 men, then hanging on to defeat Norway 2-1 in the quarter-finals.Asked why they had been unable to continue that run against the holders, Burn said: "I don't know."It is human nature [to be nervous] when you're that close to doing something you haven't done since '66 and be in a final."Argentina have done that and got that confidence. The last few games we have been able to defend the box so well. We thought we could do that again, but we weren't as tight in the box as we would have liked."England must now prepare for Saturday's third-place play-off against France (22:00 BST), which will be live on the BBC."I am still very proud of what we have done at this World Cup," said Burn."I don't think anyone really gave us a chance. We have done a lot of good, and honestly I thought we were going to do it."England have now lost in the semi-finals in two of the past three men's World Cups, and were beaten in the European Championship finals in 2021 and 2024."There's not much to say - everyone is gutted," said England captain Harry Kane."When you're so close, 10 minutes away, and it slips out of your hands like that, obviously the lads are devastated."We did so well for 60 minutes. We scored and deserved to be ahead then we struggled to keep the ball, struggled to put pressure on the ball and it allowed them to create more momentum and chances in the final third."We're going to have to find out how we can improve in those situations. It's been probably the missing piece now for probably the past four or five tournaments."Bayern Munich striker Kane has scored six goals at this World Cup and could still win the Golden Boot - though both Lionel Messi, who set up both Argentina goals, and France's Kylian Mbappe are on eight.Kane, who turns 33 later this month, refused to be drawn on whether he would still be playing by the time of the 2030 World Cup."It's too early to talk about that - for me it's about taking it year by year," said Kane."The national team is my pride and joy, it's what I love to do most."Four years is a long way away and I'm 33 in the summer, but as you see with Leo [Messi], he's still performing at the highest level [at 39]. For now it's about processing another tough loss."Like Kane, Jude Bellingham has also scored six goals for England at this tournament."The lads did everything they could over the course of the tournament - I can't fault the effort and the fight," said the Real Madrid midfielder."That's the life of a footballer at this level. The more beautiful the journey, the more heartbreaking the end is. I'm really proud of all my team-mates - they put in a magnificent shift over the last few weeks."I wanted to be part of an England squad that finally did it and finally got it over the line. To be here telling the fans the same things they have heard for years and years, it's really gutting."Despite the defeat, head coach Thomas Tuchel retains the backing of the Football Association and is expected to lead the team into Euro 2028.But he said he was surprised his side were unable to see the game out."We went 1-0 up but it totally turned the momentum in their favour," Tuchel told BBC Radio 5 Live. "They took all the risks after. They played totally free after that with all the risks and a lot of quality."They made offensive substitutions and suddenly had four players in the forward line and we couldn't stop the crosses. We couldn't stop the runners in the box."We were basically not physical enough. We couldn't win duels and we couldn't get hold of the ball. It was a total momentum shift from our goal."Tuchel said his players had given "everything" during the tournament."The conviction and the self-confidence after going 1-0 up was just not there," he said."They played with a mindset of nothing to lose, took a lot of risks and we could not get the momentum back."England will co-host the European Championship in 2028, though they still have to qualify.Asked if they were capable of winning a major tournament, Tuchel said: "Yes, of course we are, even if I have no proof of that at the moment."In big defeats it's important to take them with respect, digest them, stick together and second of all it's about the reaction to it. Of course we feel very close and still Argentina showed the gap in the last half-an-hour."Unfortunately we were close and couldn't push over the line. We wanted to push over the line and that's our goal and we are very, very disappointed and will try again."When the World Cup finishes, the football continues on BBC Sport

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“I think there's not much to say. For now, everyone has to process what's just happened,” Harry Kane said after the defending champions, Argentina, rallied to beat England 2-1 and reach the World Cup final against Spain on Sunday.Trailing 1-0 going into the last five minutes of regulation time, Enzo Fernández and the substitute Lautaro Martínez scored for Argentina. Anthony Gordon had given England the lead, but Lionel Messi and co had other ideas. Argentina pushed for an equaliser and the pressure eventually led to Fernández scoring in the 85th minute. Martinez headed the winner two minutes into injury time.“Everyone's gutted. I'm gutted for all the boys, all the staff, everyone behind the scenes, because we know how much everyone puts into being a successful national team,” said Kane. “When you're so close, when you're 10-plus minutes away and it slips out of your hands like that, obviously, the lads are devastated.”England hearts broken after turnaround in AtlantaIn pictures: our pick of the best big-match images Continue reading...

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Senior football correspondent in AtlantaPublished16 July 2026, 01:12 BST125 CommentsUpdated 26 minutes agoEngland head coach Thomas Tuchel retains the backing of the Football Association and is expected to lead the team into Euro 2028.A 2-1 defeat by Argentina on Wednesday meant England's men missed out on a first World Cup final appearance since 1966.Tuchel was criticised for his substitutions as England squandered a 1-0 lead late on, but he has the full backing of FA chief executive Mark Bullingham.The German signed a two-year contract extension in February having been appointed in January 2025 on an 18-month mission to win the World Cup.The 2028 European Championship finals are being hosted by England, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, and it was said that Tuchel viewed leading the side into a home Euros as a rare opportunity.England will face France in the bronze-medal match on Saturday (22:00 BST) - and victory will mean this is their best performance in a men's World Cup since 1966."It is heartbreaking to be so close," said Bullingham."The players and Thomas gave it everything today and the squad, coaches and staff could not have worked harder during the tournament."I would like to thank them all - and also give my heartfelt thanks to our wonderful fans here in the USA and at home."Despite the disappointment of losing in the semi-final, England's progress will be viewed internally as a relative success.Tuchel said at his post-match news conference in Atlanta: "We keep on going with the contract until the home Euros."I'm looking forward to that even though right now it's difficult to look that far ahead."Of course, it's a semi-final; a lot of big football nations are eliminated before the semi-final, so it is an achievement."No-one wants to hear that at the moment; me neither because we demand the most of ourselves. That's just the nature of being competitive."When the World Cup finishes, the football continues on BBC Sport

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