England fall to Argentina again in semi-final heartbreak
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- England lost 2-1 to Argentina in Wednesday's World Cup semi-final in Atlanta, squandering a 1-0 lead established by Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute after Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez (second minute of stoppage time) struck for the holders.
- Dan Burn, brought on as a second-half substitute with England leading, said the defeat would "haunt me for a long time" and admitted the side "got too passive, conceded too many crosses and too many chances" after going ahead.
- Harry Kane sits on six tournament goals and could still claim the Golden Boot, but only Lionel Messi (who set up both Argentina goals) and France's Kylian Mbappé are ahead on eight; Kane, who turns 33 this month, refused to discuss whether he would still be playing at the 2030 World Cup.
- Jude Bellingham — also on six goals for England — said he "wanted to be part of an England squad that finally did it," lamenting that he and his teammates were left "telling the fans the same things they have heard for years and years."
- Thomas Tuchel retains the FA's backing and is expected to lead England into Euro 2028, but conceded his side "could not win duels" and lost momentum after taking the lead, admitting Argentina showed "the gap in the last half-an-hour."
- England will face France in Saturday's third-place play-off (22:00 BST, live on the BBC), extending a run that now includes semi-final or final defeats at four consecutive major tournaments — the 2018 World Cup, Euro 2021, Euro 2024 and now this tournament.
Why it matters: England's men have now lost in the semi-finals or finals of four straight major tournaments, and with Tuchel retained through Euro 2028 — which England co-host — the pressure on Kane, Bellingham and the coaching staff to convert repeated "almost" moments into a trophy is squarely back on the FA before the cycle begins again.
