In the end, it always ends the same for England at a major tournament: regrets, what ifs, and a devastating defeat. They were up 1-0 against Argentina with just 35 minutes left on the clock, a first World Cup final appearance in 60 years within reach, and then they folded. It's a bitter pill to swallow when you're so close to history, only to see it slip away in a familiar, heartbreaking fashion.
The Collapse Was Brutal and All Too Familiar
Seriously, what happened out there? England was ahead, seemingly in control, and then completely retreated. Coach Thomas Tuchel switched to a back five instead of bringing on attacking players to pin back a surging Argentina. After going up a goal, England pulled back to the edge of their own box, finishing with a paltry 12 percent possession. You can't win a World Cup semifinal playing like that. And let's not even start on letting Lionel Messi, who had drifted out to the right wing, cause maximum chaos without anyone figuring out how to stop him. It's just like the 2018 World Cup semifinal loss to Croatia or the 2021 European Championship final against Italy. They had the lead, they were on top, and they let it go.Harry Kane's 'Missing Piece' Still Haunts Them
England captain Harry Kane didn't mince words after the match. "It has been the missing piece now for the last four or five tournaments," he told reporters, still dejected. He's right, isn't he? They struggle to keep momentum. "We did so well for 60 minutes. We scored, deserved to be ahead, then for one reason or another we struggled to keep the ball, struggled to put pressure on the ball and it allowed them to create more momentum," Kane explained. He pointed out the "normal mindset to try and hang on to a one-goal lead" but emphasized that with "20 minutes plus stoppage time to go, so it was always going to be a long time." Defender Dan Burn echoed the sentiment, admitting it's a "tough question" to answer right now, but noted Argentina's experience: "Argentina have been there, done that and had the confidence that they were going to do it." He's not wrong. At this level, the margins are tiny, and Argentina simply took their chances. Fans across the globe, from Boston to Miami to Atlanta, truly believed this was England's time. They met expectations by reaching the semifinals and showed a ton of fight, spirit, and scrappiness along the way. But when it mattered most, when they needed to show that final bit of character to finish the job, they couldn't. Messi's quality and Argentina's insane will to win made the difference, sure, but England just didn't grasp the moment. So, what now for England? They'll have to watch the game back and try to figure out how to improve in those high-stakes situations, because finding that "missing piece" is clearly still the biggest challenge ahead.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.