England missing final piece of jigsaw – Harry Kane
It is not the first time England have been accused of being too defensive in important matches.
There was a similar situation under former manager Gareth Southgate; The team, which was ahead 1-0 against Italy in the Euro 2021 final, missed the draw on penalties.
Under Southgate, England lost the World Cup semi-final to Croatia in 2018 and lost to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
Opta statistics show that England have been eliminated every time they have faced a top 10 country in the knockout stages of the World Cup since 1998.
“Having fame doesn’t always mean you’ll get it,” added Bayern Munich forward Kane, who scored six goals throughout the tournament.
“You have to fight for it, get down, pick yourself up and get back on track and that’s what we’re going to do, there’s no other way but to keep believing and keep pushing.”
England, who had a 2-2 draw at the break, started their World Cup campaign by beating Croatia 4-2.
After the match, Kane said the team’s improved second-half performance came after Tuchel said “If we lose, we lose our way” in his half-time team talk.
England drew 0-0 with Ghana, beat Panama 2-0 to top their group, and then beat Democratic Republic of the Congo 2-1 in the last 32.
They were down to 10 men against Mexico but earned a hard-fought 3-2 win against the home team and beat Norway 2-1 in extra time before the match against Argentina.
The Three Lions now face a third-place play-off match against France, who lost to Spain in the other semi-final, on Saturday (22:00 CET).
England’s attacking midfielder Jude Bellingham, like Kane, scored six goals in the matches he played throughout the tournament.
He said he was “really struggling to find the right words” following England’s departure, but shared a four-page poem titled ‘The Way of the Lions’ written by the team’s driver Michael Chandler, which was “pretty much on point”.
The poem ended with the line “a soul strengthened, a soul assured.” Bellingham also called for “unity”, external Following England’s defeat.
The Real Madrid player said, “Let the unity and love we see in our country not end with this campaign. We can achieve great things when we are together.”
Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers booked Gordon for England’s first match against Argentina and said he was “devastated” following the defeat.
“We’ve given so much to get to this point, and it’s painful for it to end this way.” he said., external
“We shared memories that will last a lifetime, and I lived my childhood dream of representing my country in the World Cup. We will be back, mark my words.”
Gordon, who joined Barcelona from Newcastle United, added: “After waiting all these years I really thought it was time for us to win but it wasn’t to be and that’s going to hurt for a while.
“I’ve never wanted to win more, not just for the trophy but for everything we’ve built as a group and what it means for England.”
