England did it again. The same gut-wrenching way, just a different opponent.
Up 1-0 late in a World Cup semifinal against Argentina on Wednesday night in Atlanta, the Three Lions looked like they might finally crash the final for the first time since 1966. They had a lead. They had a strategy. And with about five minutes left in regulation, they had nothing but a tie game and a sinking feeling.
Anthony Gordon scored in the 55th minute. England’s bench responded by parking the bus, loading up on defensive subs, and basically daring the world champions to break them down. Against most teams, that works. Against a Lionel Messi who still turns games into his own personal chess match in 2026, it’s a gamble that rarely pays off.
Enzo Fernández tied it in the 85th. Then Lautaro Martínez finished the job in the second minute of stoppage time. Both goals set up by Messi, both surgical, both completely avoidable if you’re looking at it from England’s side. The final: Argentina 2, England 1.
What makes this historically bad is the company it keeps. According to OptaJoe, only two teams in the 21st century have scored first in a World Cup semifinal and still lost the match. Both are England. Croatia in 2018. Argentina in 2026. That’s not a pattern. That’s a signature.
Back in 2018, England scored in the fifth minute against Croatia. They held that lead until the 68th minute, when Croatia equalized. Then they fell apart in extra time. This time felt different because they held it longer, but the ending was arguably crueler. No extra time needed. Argentina just needed two minutes of real magic after 85 minutes of England grinding.
Same song, different verse
The 2018 collapse was a slow burn. Croatia fought back, then dominated extra time. This one was a sucker punch. One minute England had a path to the final. The next minute they were staring at the third-place game they’ve already lost twice before, in 1990 and 2018.
Harry Kane was invisible in the second half. England’s midfield couldn’t connect passes when it mattered most. And the decision to sit on a one-goal lead against Argentina, of all teams, is the kind of call that gets second-guessed for years. The bus got parked. Then it got flattened.
England still has one more match. They take on France on Saturday for third place, which is basically the World Cup’s version of a participation ribbon you have to fight for. France lost the final to Argentina in 2022, then lost the semifinal this time around to Brazil. Kylian Mbappé will be motivated. England will be emotionally drained. It’s a terrible combination.
Whoever wins Saturday gets the bronze medal and a slightly less painful flight home. But for England, that’s small consolation for a second semifinal lead that vanished when it mattered most.
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