England thought they had it. For 75 minutes in Atlanta on Wednesday night, the Three Lions were 45 minutes away from a World Cup final. Then Argentina reminded everyone why they are the defending champions.
Enzo Fernandez pulled Argentina level with a rocket from distance that flashed through traffic. Jordan Pickford got a hand to it but couldn’t keep it out. Then Lautaro Martinez powered home the winner in the 87th minute, sending Argentina to the final and England home with another what-if tournament exit.
Djed Spence was the best player on the field for England. The right back was everywhere. He nutmegged defenders, he made a recovery tackle on Simeone that looked like something out of a video game, and he gave England an outlet when they were pinned back. If there is one player who walks out of this tournament with his reputation enhanced, it’s Spence.
Anthony Gordon scored England’s only goal. He took it well — a sharp finish off a cross from Morgan Rogers — and he pressed the Argentina back line all night. But after Gordon’s goal, England went into a defensive shell that felt familiar and ultimately fatal.
Harry Kane had a nightmare by his standards. Zero touches inside the Argentina box. He kept dropping deep trying to get involved, but that just took England’s main goal threat away from the one place he could hurt Argentina. It was a tactical bind England never figured out.
Marc Guehi and John Stones handled most of what Argentina threw at them until the late pressure became too much. Stones could have been tighter to Martinez on the winner, though to be fair the ball from the wing was perfect and Martinez is a handful for any defender.
Elliot Anderson was solid in midfield, spending most of the first half getting fouled by an aggressive Argentina side. He picked up a yellow for clattering into Lionel Messi, but that was the kind of edge England needed more of in the final 20 minutes.
Jude Bellingham tried to make things happen. Argentina clearly had a plan to get under his skin with late tackles and chatter, and to his credit Bellingham kept his composure. But England’s retreat after the goal meant he spent too much time chasing the game rather than dictating it.
Declan Rice put in his usual miles but something has been off all tournament for him. He looked exhausted out there. The Arsenal midfielder could use a long vacation.
The subs didn’t change much. Ezri Konsa, Nico O’Reilly, Dan Burn, Ivan Toney, and Marcus Rashford all came on but none of them could stop Argentina’s momentum once it started rolling. Burn ended up playing as an emergency striker at one point. That’s not how Thomas Tuchel drew it up.
For England, it’s another close miss. For Argentina, it’s one more step toward back-to-back World Cups. For the rest of us, it was a reminder that leads in knockout soccer are never safe.
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