England’s World Cup dream ends after late Argentina goals in semi-final

By Charlotte Reid — 16 July 2026 — 4 min read

England‘s aspirations of reaching their first men’s World Cup final since 1966 were dashed after a late collapse against Argentina in the semi-final. Leading 1-0 in the 84th minute, England conceded two goals, resulting in a 2-1 defeat. The match saw Argentina advance to face Spain in the final.

Anthony Gordon had given England the lead in the 55th minute. However, Enzo Fernandez equalised in the 85th minute, followed by Lautaro Martinez‘s winning header in the 92nd minute. Both goals were assisted by Lionel Messi.

Following Gordon‘s goal, England adopted a defensive approach, which drew criticism. Former England captain Wayne Rooney stated that the team “crumpled” and attributed it to manager Thomas Tuchel‘s decisions, describing them as “too passive.”

Tuchel’s tactical decisions scrutinised

Thomas Tuchel‘s tactical choices, particularly after England took the lead, have come under significant scrutiny. After Gordon‘s goal, England had only 12% possession until conceding the second goal. Tuchel made three defensive substitutions, bringing on Ezri Konsa for Gordon in the 72nd minute, shifting to a back five, and later introducing Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly.

Former England captain Alan Shearer commented that Tuchel “played his cards very, very early and it has backfired.” Chris Sutton, a former Premier League winner, labelled the decision to sit back and defend as a “coaching catastrophe.” He questioned how Tuchel could be trusted to lead the team forward after such a negative approach.

Paul Robinson, a former England goalkeeper, suggested that Tuchel went too deep too soon, stating, “I think he has got that wrong.” Micah Richards, a former England defender, added that England should have pursued a second goal after taking the lead, noting that dropping deep allowed Argentina to gain momentum.

Even Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez acknowledged a shift in momentum after England‘s opening goal, observing that they brought on extra defenders. He remarked, “Sometimes when you are winning, you have to go forward. You can’t change the gameplan.”

Players and manager reflect on the defeat

England captain Harry Kane expressed his disappointment, stating that the team tried to hold on after going 1-0 up, but “at this level, it’s not enough.” He added, “Just gutted because we’ve worked so hard to be here and the lads have given every last bit of running, blood, sweat, tears.”

Kane noted that after the goal, Argentina‘s relentless attacks created “wave after wave,” and despite defensive efforts, “it wasn’t enough.” He also mentioned that the team had many good moments in the tournament and reached another semi-final, suggesting they are close but need to find the “missing piece in the final stage of the tournament.”

Thomas Tuchel defended his decisions in the post-match news conference, stating, “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.” He maintained that he had “no regrets” and that the team gave everything, playing one of their best matches under the circumstances.

Tuchel acknowledged that he expects criticism for his decisions, stating, “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.” He also mentioned that the team had overcome various obstacles throughout the tournament, including playing at altitude and with 10 men.

Despite the defeat, Tuchel‘s tenure has seen an improvement on England‘s performance in the 2022 World Cup, where they reached the quarter-finals. The team features exceptional talent such as Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.

Following their victory, Argentina players displayed a banner that read “The Falkland Islands are Argentine.” This action may contravene FIFA‘s Stadium Code of Conduct, which prohibits banners of a political nature. Lisandro Martinez and Giovani Lo Celso were seen holding the banner.

Argentina will now play Spain in the final at 20:00 BST.

The question of sovereignty over the islands, known as the Falklands by the British and Malvinas by Argentines, has been a long-standing point of contention between the two nations. A conflict over the islands occurred in 1982.

This is not the first instance of political banners appearing during the World Cup. Earlier in the tournament, Iranian Americans displayed pre-revolutionary flags during matches involving Iran.

England‘s defeat means they have not reached a World Cup final since winning the trophy in 1966.

Source: bbc.com