England’s World Cup semifinal went from controlled to catastrophic in a matter of minutes. And somewhere in the middle of it all, Reece James went down again.
The Chelsea right back, who has spent most of this tournament nursing a hamstring injury, waved for help in the 80th minute against Argentina. He was holding the back of his leg as the England medical staff ran over. It was hard to tell at first if it was cramp or another setback, but Thomas Tuchel wasn’t taking any chances. James was off the field moments later, replaced by Dan Burn as part of a flurry of defensive changes.
Tuchel also sent Nico O’Reilly and Ezri Konsa into the game. The idea was clear: protect the 1-0 lead Anthony Gordon had given them in the 55th minute. Sit deep. Frustrate Argentina. Get to the final. It was a classic Tuchel game plan, and for a while it worked.
Then everything fell apart.
Enzo Fernandez equalized with five minutes left in regulation. Lautaro Martinez finished the comeback in extra time. Argentina, the defending champions, punched their ticket to another final. England was left to figure out what went wrong — and whether James would be healthy enough for Saturday’s third-place match against France.
Another Hamstring Problem for James
This tournament has been a nightmare for James physically. He missed three games after straining his hamstring during a scoreless group-stage draw with Ghana. That 0-0 was already a low point for England. Losing their captain for multiple matches made it worse.
James returned as a sub in the quarterfinal against Norway and looked sharp enough for Tuchel to trust him with a start in the semifinal. But he couldn’t finish it. The team has not confirmed whether it’s a new injury or just fatigue, but the visual was not good. A defender waving for help late in a World Cup semifinal is never a good sign.
Tuchel will likely address James’s status after full time, but early indications suggest another layoff might be coming. That would be a brutal way for James to end what was supposed to be his breakout tournament on the international stage.
Tuchel’s Gamble Backfires
There’s going to be a lot of second-guessing about those defensive subs. Tuchel brought on three defenders to protect a one-goal lead against a team like Argentina, and it didn’t hold. That type of move works when your back line stays organized and your midfield can still track runners. England couldn’t do either in the final stretch.
Argentina smelled blood after the equalizer. They had the momentum, the crowd, and the belief that comes with being the reigning champions. England went from in control to desperate in the span of five minutes. Martinez’s winner was almost inevitable by the time it arrived.
Now England has to regroup for a consolation game against France. It’s not the game anyone wanted, but it’s the one they’ve got. And whether James can play in it is still an open question.
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