England captain Harry Kane could not hide his disappointment after Thomas Tuchel’s team exited the 2026 World Cup. Argentina beat England 2-1 in Wednesday night’s semi-final.
Tuchel became England head coach in January 2025. He replaced Sir Gareth Southgate.
England had hoped to reach Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain. Those hopes grew when Anthony Gordon gave the Three Lions the lead in the second half.
Gordon tapped home from close range in the 55th minute. Morgan Rogers provided the cross.
However, England then dropped deeper instead of pushing for a second goal. Argentina took control and created more pressure.
England eventually paid the price. Enzo Fernandez equalised in the 85th minute. Lautaro Martinez then scored the winner in stoppage time.
Back-five switch backfires
Tuchel received praise for his tactics during England’s win over Mexico. However, his changes against Argentina attracted criticism after the match.
The England boss replaced Gordon with Ezri Konsa. He also switched his team to a back five.
That change left Kane increasingly isolated. England spent long periods defending inside their own half.
Jordan Pickford made several important saves. However, Argentina kept applying pressure.
Fernandez eventually found the equaliser with a powerful effort from outside the box. The goal came in the 85th minute.
Argentina then pushed for the winner. Lautaro Martinez headed home in stoppage time to complete the comeback.
Captain Kane ‘gutted’
Kane said after the game: “I’m gutted. 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.”
He added on Sky Sports: “We struggled to get pressure on the ball [after the goal].
“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.
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