The final scoreline read England 1 Argentina 2.
As we’d approached the 85th minute the scoreboard had shown England 1 Argentina 0.
So where did it all go wrong?
The recriminations have really kicked off and Thomas Tuchel is the one in the crosshairs.
So is he to blame for England exiting the 2026 World Cup?
This semi-final kicked off in a very cagey manner but England quickly established themselves as the better and more threatening team, even if that was only in a very limited way.
Thomas Tuchel had clearly instilled in the players a need for discipline, to not open themselves up to an Argentina side who have looked so limited when they aren’t allowed the space to get the ball into Lionel Messi in dangerous positions.
England weren’t creating many clear chances, if indeed any, but they were getting into more dangerous positions than Argentina in a marginal way and the opposition offering so little threat in the first half.
The American referee was really poor and the first half saw 19 fouls, most of them by Argentina and certainly the worst and most sly committed by the World Cup holders. As so often happens in these situations, after the clueless referee had refused to book any of the Argentina players as they persistently fouled to break up the game and tried to upset England, it then ended up one of ours booked first. Elliot Anderson in disbelief.
Even this ref was then left with little option but to book both of the loathsome Argentina central defenders Lisandro Martinez and Romero either side of half-time. By the time the Tottenham defender followed the equally despicable Man U one into the book on 52 minutes, it felt like the game was opening up and England looking like they could do this.
On 55 minutes the moment came, a brilliant run and cross by Morgan Rogers (justifying Tuchel’s selection ahead of the woeful Madueke and not fit enough Saka) was sent across the six yard line and Anthony Gordon showed brilliant determination and skill to get ahead of the defender and steer it past the Villa keeper.
The Thomas Tuchel game plan had worked to perfection and England looked in such a powerful position against an Argentina side who had offered so little. For Anthony Gordon it was now two goals and four assists in his last seven England matches.
After the match, after the defeat, the journalists and pundits were all wanting to claim that from the moment the goal went in, England went totally defensive and Thomas Tuchel lost the plot with his substitutions at the heart of that.
That isn’t exactly as it happened.
After the Gordon goal the play initially opened up for both matches and it looked like a very good last 40 minutes or so was on the cards, as Argentina forced now to show some attacking intent.
As the game stretched Simeone got in behind Spence a few minutes after the opening goal and as he went to shoot, only a superbly timed tackle prevented a goal or a penalty.
Maybe this was the trigger for England thinking, even if it was subconsciously, that they had to go on the defensive. Whatever the reasons they ended up going deeper and deeper with their low block and rarely getting into the opposition half, never mind threatening Martinez’ goal again.
As the second half advertising break closed in, Gonzalez came on for Argentina in the 64th minute and I think it was maybe from this point that the screw really began to tighten. Only a couple of minutes later Messi allowed the chance to put a brilliant cross in and Gonzalez met it with his head but Stones dealt with it. Declan Rice then had England’s second and final shot on target, the effort from distance saw Martinez hold onto it (unlike the Norwegian keeper against England) as Bellingham raced in.
The pattern now began to build whereby England were defending so deep but at the same time Argentina finding Messi in far too much space, he and his teammates not getting closed down quickly enough, including when taking short corners, England players giving them far too much time to cross and shoot.
A couple of corners in a row and then Messi’s cross finds Gonzalez unmarked and from only around eight yards out he should have scored. Instead he gave Pickford a chance and the keeper got down well to save and most importantly pushed the ball out to the side rather than just parrying it and all but certainly a goal as an Argentina player was waiting to take advantage.
England though had got to the final advertising break still ahead and less than 20 minutes of normal time remained when they resumed.
This was in my opinion the moment when Thomas Tuchel does deserve criticism, though the players as well have to share the blame for what followed. With 18 minutes to go Argentina went for it with three subs, England replaced their quickest and best attacking player Anthony Gordon, with Konsa, a defender. Ten minutes later and Thomas Tuchel doubled down on this approach when taking off James and midfielder Rice, replacing with defenders O’Reilly and Big Dan Burn.
In that 82nd minute England now had six defenders on the pitch and zero outlet to get out of their own half.
In the ten minutes before that double substitution, yet another cross allowed to come in from a dangerous position and Mac Allister saw his free header come back off the post. Another Mac Allister header immediately followed but this time Pickford easily saved. Messi yet again allowed the space to cross and this time Gonzalez heads wide.
Maybe England had weather the storm and now with only eight minutes of normal time remaining, Dan Burn can help his team over the line again. However, it is all very well going so defensive but if at the the same time you allow the opposition the time and space to put in dangerous crosses, you are inviting them to score. The same if you don’t close down quickly around the box and on short corners.
Against Mexico with ten men England did all of this so well and limited the opposition to so few clear chances, that wasn’t the case here.
With five minutes to go a long range effort was going over the bar and Pickford needlessly gave away a corner. He did this a couple of times against Norway when the ball was missing the target, touching it behind, from one of those Norway scored their goal which was disallowed for the Haaland push.
This time though England punished, yet again not getting out quick enough to a short corner, Messi then easily able to pass the ball across to Fernandez on the edge of the box and completely unmarked with England players all so deep around six yards out, he had the freedom to power it past Pickford. Bellingham got the closest as he belatedly rushed out but too little too late.
A couple of minutes into the nine minutes of added time and England clinging on for extra time.
However, Mac Allister allowed far too much time and space on the edge of the box and this time he hit the other (right hand) post with Pickford well beaten. The ball rebounding off the post and Spence doing well to get a toe to the ball initially to push the ball out to the right side BUT then despite two defenders, Messi allowed to far too easily cross and Stones lost the dangerous striker Lautaro Martinez who was left with a free header from a few yards out to win the game.
England ended up with around nine or ten minutes to get the equaliser but it never looked likely. They ended up having little inspiration to try and get back into it and reduced to long balls pumped up, with Dan Burn pushed into the role of emergency extra striker.
As I said above, I do think Thomas Tuchel has to take the criticism on the chin for his approach and substitutions in the final quarter of the match BUT at the same time the players on the pitch could and should have done so much better.
The England statistics looked pretty damning by end and pretty much all of the positive Argentina stats came from the final quarter of the match.
Argentina of course scoring twice and hitting the woodwork on two occasions but they also had 64% possession, England only two efforts on target all game compared to five for Argentina, on overall shots it was five for England compared to 15. On corners it was 6 v 2 in Argentina’s favour, whilst maybe what sums it up most was the fact that England players had only seven touches of the ball in the opposition penalty area, Argentina 28 at the other end.
England are out but before they head home they have the nonsense of the third place play-off on Saturday (10pm UK time) against France. You have to fear that this could be another night to forget as France’s attacking talent will be desperate to bounce back from their no show against Spain.