England's dream of ending their 60-year World Cup drought has been shattered following a devastating 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the semi-final, with talkSPORT's Adrian Durham laying the blame squarely at the feet of manager Thomas Tuchel.
The Three Lions appeared destined for their first World Cup final since 1966 when Anthony Gordon broke the deadlock in the 55th minute. Captain Harry Kane played Morgan Rogers through down the right flank, and the Aston Villa man delivered a delicious low cross that Gordon met at the back post, guiding a half-volley into the bottom corner.
talkSPORT commentator Jim Proudfoot captured the significance of the moment, declaring: "That might just be England's biggest moment in 60 years."
However, what followed has sparked fury among pundits and fans alike. England immediately retreated into a defensive shell, attempting to protect their slender advantage rather than push for a second goal.
The warning signs were clear. Jordan Pickford was forced into action to deny Nicolas Gonzalez's header just before the second hydration break, while Alexis Mac Allister rattled the post with a header from Rodrigo De Paul's delivery.
Argentina's pressure finally told in the 85th minute when Enzo Fernandez was left unmarked outside the box from a corner. The Chelsea midfielder unleashed a stunning strike from range that flew past Pickford's outstretched arms to level the contest.
Then, in the second minute of stoppage time, Argentina completed their dramatic comeback. Mac Allister's shot struck the post, Lionel Messi collected the rebound and whipped a cross toward the back post where an unmarked Lautaro Martinez headed into an empty net, sending Argentina fans in Atlanta into delirium.
England's desperate late attempts to force extra-time through hopeful crosses into the box produced nothing of note, and the final whistle confirmed another agonising tournament exit.
Durham was scathing in his assessment of Tuchel's tactical approach, saying: "We stopped going forward and we knew coming into this we can't defend, we can only attack. Don't ask Argentina if they can score and give them 30 odd minutes to do it, I think Tuchel's got this tactically totally wrong in this semi-final."
He added: "You have to scrutinise Thomas Tuchel for going all defensive after less than an hour, surely?"
England legend Stuart Pearce offered his perspective: "Yeah, the tide was going against us, and listen, you get paid the money to make those judgement calls in the technical area. If you've got a defensive action, fantastic, you see the game out, it's a great call. Our biggest problem was just dropping back and allowing Messi to get on the ball time and time again."
In Durham's player ratings, Tuchel received a brutal 2/10, with the talkSPORT host remarking: "Defending a lead for half an hour? Really?"
Gordon earned joint top marks of 8/10 alongside Djed Spence, with Durham praising his "terrific finish." The Barcelona winger was given the nod over Marcus Rashford once again and justified his selection with what Durham compared in magnitude to Geoff Hurst's hat-trick goal in the 1966 final.
Harry Kane received a 6/10 despite finishing as England's joint top scorer at the tournament alongside Jude Bellingham with six goals. The Bayern Munich striker failed to trouble Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, instead dropping deep to try and influence proceedings. Durham's verdict was cutting: "Went deep to try and be Messi, but he isn't."
Pickford also earned a 6/10. While Durham acknowledged his "unbelievable save from Nico Gonzalez's header," he was critical of the goalkeeper's stature, stating: "Jordan Pickford's stature has cost England there. I've mentioned this before, this happened in the quarter-final in Qatar, Tchouameni from range, he couldn't reach it Jordan Pickford. This one wasn't exactly in the inside netting, it wasn't exactly in the corner and it was a goal. I think most other keepers would have got there."
While Argentina now prepare for back-to-back World Cup finals as they chase becoming the first nation to retain the trophy since Brazil in 1962, England's players were left in tears as another painful chapter in their tournament history was written.