Harry Kane didn’t sugarcoat it. Five minutes from a World Cup final, England let it slip. Argentina scored twice late in Atlanta, and the trophy dreams went up in smoke. Now Kane says the team is still in the grieving phase, and that won’t change for weeks.
But even with the sting of that 2-1 loss fresh, England’s captain is publicly backing Thomas Tuchel to keep the job. The German manager took heat for his defensive subs in the final half hour, decisions that left England exposed and opened the door for Argentina’s comeback. Even Donald Trump chimed in, wondering why Kane wasn’t more involved after Anthony Gordon put England ahead in the 55th minute.
Kane isn’t having any of the second-guessing. He pointed out that finishing third — with a wild 6-4 win over France in the bronze-medal match — is the best England has done since 1966. That matters, even if the ending stings.
The What-Ifs Are Everywhere
“We’re still feeling it from the other night, the emotion and the what ifs,” Kane said. “That will be with us for a while now. We’re still in that grieving stage, the emotional stage, and we’ll be in that for the next few weeks.”
The Bayern Munich striker, who bagged six goals this World Cup, said the pain cuts deeper because everyone actually believed this time. Tuchel sold the squad — and the country — on the idea that 2026 was their year. And for 55 minutes against Argentina, it looked real.
“It’s our highest finish in 60 years,” Kane said. “The enthusiasm he has, the emotion he brings, the tactical experience he has. It doesn’t mean you’re going to get it right every time. He not only gave the players belief but he gave the country belief that it was our year. That is why it hurts even more than other years because everyone believed we were going all the way.”
Tuchel: One More Shot or Time to Go?
Tuchel’s contract situation is murky. England hasn’t announced anything beyond this tournament, and Kane said the coach needs time to process. The captain plans to sit down with Tuchel and other senior players before the next camp to figure out how to close the gap.
“We’ll have conversations as captain and manager and with other team-mates and staff, to see where we can be better,” Kane said.
Kane was cryptic after the Argentina loss, saying England was “missing that final piece of the jigsaw.” He expanded on that Saturday, pointing to the final 30 minutes against Argentina as the problem.
“The last 30 minutes of Argentina is not the team we want to be,” he said. “We spent a lot of time over the last two years talking about that situation, to attack those moments. The bottom line is we lost anyway. It’s easy to go away and talk about it. We need to get better at actually being in those situations.”
Kane thinks the Nations League — with games against Spain and Croatia — will be a good test. Real pressure, real stakes. He wants to see if England can handle those moments the way they handled France in the bronze match, even if that game lacked the same tension.
“We have to learn, improve,” he said. “The coach will have improved from these learnings. I can talk as much as I want but ultimately it’s about showing it next time we’re in that situation.”
Leave a Comment