England's agonising wait for a men's World Cup final will now extend beyond six decades, and the manner of their semi-final implosion against Argentina in Atlanta could stand as the most gut-wrenching defeat of them all.
With just five minutes of normal time remaining, Thomas Tuchel's side were on the brink of reaching a World Cup final for the first time since lifting the Jules Rimet trophy at Wembley in 1966. Anthony Gordon's 55th-minute strike had given them the lead, and immortality beckoned for players and coach alike.
But Tuchel's tactical decisions in the closing stages proved catastrophic. His shift to a defensive setup invited relentless Argentine pressure, orchestrated by Lionel Messi, and the dam inevitably broke. Enzo Fernandez equalised in the 85th minute before Lautaro Martinez headed the winner deep into injury time, leaving a stunned football nation to process yet another devastating near-miss from this perennial nearly team.
Tuchel's entire rationale for replacing Sir Gareth Southgate was that he would be the man to drive England over the finishing line rather than retreat from it. The Football Association made a quick-fix appointment after Euro 2024, hiring a proven winner whose sole mission was to deliver the 2026 World Cup — or as Tuchel himself put it, place "a second star on the shirt." A semi-final exit can only be judged as failure against that remit.
The German coach's pivotal error came after Gordon's goal gave England the advantage. He replaced the goalscorer with defender Ezri Konsa with 18 minutes remaining, shifting to a back five. He then withdrew Declan Rice and Reece James in favour of Nico O'Reilly and Dan Burn. The effect was almost immediately clear — England surrendered all initiative and invited Argentina forward in waves.
One damning statistic encapsulated the approach: England managed just 12% possession between taking the lead and Martinez's winner nearly 40 minutes later. Such was their desperate attacking need in the dying seconds that Ivan Toney was introduced after 96 minutes for his first appearance of the entire tournament — raising questions about whether he was selected solely for a penalty shootout that never materialised.
Scrutiny will also fall on Tuchel's squad-building decisions. His gamble on the injury-prone Reece James backfired when the Chelsea defender was sidelined with a hamstring issue, turning right-back into a revolving door between Jarell Quansah — who was injured against Panama and sent off against Mexico — Djed Spence, and Konsa before James returned for the semi-final. All the while, Trent Alexander-Arnold watched from afar, his natural attacking gifts overlooked due to perceived defensive frailty.
Questions will also be asked about Tuchel's decision to bypass the creativity of Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, and Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White — though hindsight is kind given Palmer and Foden endured poor seasons at Chelsea and Manchester City respectively. Meanwhile, Jordan Henderson, whose tournament ended bizarrely when he broke an arm celebrating the victory over Mexico, was taken for his squad influence but was never going to be a serious on-field contributor. If Tuchel valued his professionalism and personality that much, critics will ask why he did not simply bring Henderson as a staff member and free up a place for a younger, more creative option.
For those asking whether this represents England's most painful loss, the argument is compelling. This was not simply about the old rivalry with Argentina and all the history it evokes. It was because this semi-final will forever be defined by "what ifs" against an Argentine side that looked beatable throughout the tournament but simply refused to lose. England were minutes away from crossing a barrier that has proved insurmountable for six decades, only to stumble once more.
There are positives to salvage. England's remarkable last-16 victory over co-hosts Mexico in a spine-tingling encounter at the Azteca Stadium — a 3-2 triumph where Jude Bellingham proved his world-class credentials — will live long in the memory. They showed character to come from behind against DR Congo in the last 32 and Norway in the quarter-final. Bellingham sits alongside captain Harry Kane in the elite bracket, though the Bayern Munich striker will feel this exit more acutely than most — he will be 36 by the time the next World Cup arrives.
But the moments when England truly flowed were few and far between, and this crushing manner of defeat will leave fans wondering if the major tournament curse will ever end. Recovery will need to be swift, with a Nations League fixture at home to World Cup finalists Spain on the horizon. Tuchel is expected to lead the team into Euro 2028, but the shadow of Atlanta will follow him there.