60 years of suffering continues. And the pain has never been worse.
Manager Thomas Tuchel got it wrong. He invited pressure. It was unsustainable. Sure enough, England cracked.
It was pure torture as the final was for England. It was in their hands and they missed it.
This was an opportunity for them. This was their moment. In the end, though, it was Argentina who showed more courage and fortitude than England could muster.
With five minutes remaining, England faced a fateful encounter in the World Cup final on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Anthony Gordon put them ahead, making us all very excited and dreaming of reaching the final for the first time since England won in 1966.
Now, with Thomas Tuchel in charge, they may have a chance to cross the line – and that time may finally come. But England had a crack. After the World Cup of Heroes and Adventures, England lost the bottle. They barricaded themselves in the penalty box to keep Argentina at bay.
Dan Byrne and others kept Argentina at bay, but this time Argentina led by Lionel Messi did not give up. Messi vs Byrne. It wasn’t a fair fight.
You can show courage, and England had plenty of that, but you also need tactical knowledge, and England manager Tuchel’s side got it wrong.
They sat deep and put pressure on us, but you can’t do that against a team that doesn’t know when they’ve lost.
A late capitulation saw Enzo Fernandes score the equalizer with a screamer, but England either had no reply or were shadowed by Gareth Southgate when attacking players were left on the pitch.
Messi fed Fernandes with a pass and then assisted a cross for Lautaro Martinez to head home a heartbreaking goal in the 92nd minute.
Lautaro Martinez scores the winning goal in stoppage time to lead Argentina back into the World Cup finals.
England’s players threw the kitchen sink at them to save their World Cup spot, but it was too little, too late. They were in control when Gordon scored, so why change that?
Argentina has repeatedly come from behind in this tournament alone, and no team is allowed to play against them. It was a shocking move and one has to take into account that Tuchel attacked the defender.
After the final whistle, England’s players lined up in front of the fans, but this time no one wanted to sing Wonderwall.
Harry Kane overtook Wayne Rooney to become England’s most capped outfielder with 121, but it was a night of heartbreak and frustration for him.
Kane was quiet, and Jude Bellingham was meant to be, but this time even he couldn’t work his magic or score.
Of course there were heroes. Jed Spence had the best game of his life with tackles and blocks. Jordan Pickford made a heroic save after England started sitting deep.
Harry Kane disappointed after hearing the final whistle
But this feels like a wasted opportunity and, having enjoyed the ride in 2018 and tearing up their last two World Cup semi-finals in Turin in 1990, England will look back on this game with regret.
It was there. From the moment Gordon gave him the lead. Declan Rice’s free-kick sent Morgan Rodgers down the right flank, and his low cross was perfect for Gordon to slot in and score.
England took the lead after 55 minutes. It felt like I was finally home. Argentina hit the post, but Nico Gonzalez and Alexis Mac Allister were denied by Pickford.
However, Fernandes fired a shot from the edge of the box that went into the far corner of the goal. He never seems to do that against Chelsea.
Manager Thomas Tuchel’s changes backfired as England crashed out of the game.
Argentina moved up in the rankings and England fell. This match was a one-way street. Messi’s cross landed on the plate and Martinez headed it in. Argentina’s celebration was torture.
It was a fun drive. There were joyful and wonderful moments. Bellingham was great. But in the end, England are heading into the worst game in football, the third-place match.
Sadly, Tuchel has no one to blame but himself this time. The coach took his team within reach and then exploded.
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