Thomas Tuchel’s side took the lead in the 55th minute with Anthony Gordon’s goal. However, under pressure from their opponents, Argentina made the breakthrough through Enzo Fernandes in the 85th minute. Lautaro Martinez then scored the winning goal in the second minute of stoppage time.
Twenty-four hours after the defeat, the England captain aired his feelings in an emotional response on Instagram. “Right now, there aren’t enough words to overcome this emptiness in my stomach,” he wrote.
“We were so close to another final, but it wasn’t enough. We’ve given everything these last seven weeks, so it’s unbearable to go one step further!”
“I know the expectations are high and rightly so, but we’ve been knocking on the door for eight years and once again we’re missing the last piece of the jigsaw! That’s where we have to go away and find a way to process and improve.”
“I’m very proud of our players and what we’ve shown throughout this tournament, overcoming some tough matches and tough conditions.
“I think there are some memories that will stay with us as players and fans forever. Aiming for glory doesn’t always mean you’ll get it. You have to fight for it. You get knocked down, you get back up and you have to keep going again. That’s what we do. There’s no other way than to believe and keep pushing.”
“Thank you to all the fans who traveled and showed their support in the stadium. Thank you to all the fans back home who believed in us. To all the players and staff, thank you for everything you have given. As always, win or lose, we will learn and move forward again!”
The post attracted reactions from members of the England squad, with Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rodgers commenting using red heart emojis.
England resume play on Saturday night (10pm CET) when they face France in the third-place decider in Miami. All eyes will now turn to Euro 2028, which will be held in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
