England captain Harry Kane couldn’t hide his disappointment after Thomas Tuchel’s team bowed out of the 2026 World Cup after a 2-1 defeat to Argentina on Wednesday night.
Tuchel was appointed England head coach in January 2025, replacing Sir Gareth Southgate.
Hopes were high that the Three Lions could book their place in Sunday’s World Cup final, where Spain await, particularly after Anthony Gordon broke the deadlock against the Argentines in the second half.
Gordon’s back-post tap-in on 55 minutes came from an inviting cross from Morgan Rogers – but rather than pushing for a second goal, England slowly sat deeper, inviting pressure from Argentina.
Back-five switch backfires
Tuchel’s in-game tactics were hailed after the memorable win over Mexico – but he has been widely criticised for replacing Gordon with Ezri Konsa, as well as switching to a back five.
Kane was left increasingly isolated as England found themselves camped in their own half – and after some fine saves from Jordan Pickford, Argentina equalised on 86 minutes when Enzo Fernandez thumped home a 20-yard piledriver.
That gave Argentina all the momentum they needed, eventually breaking England hearts with a stoppage-time Lautaro Martinez winner, who headed home a Lionel Messi cross.
Captain Kane ‘gutted’
Kane said after the game: “I’m gutted. Once we went 1-0 up we seemed to just try and hold on which at this level is just not enough, so I’m gutted.
“We worked so hard to be here. The lads have given every last bit of running, sweat, blood, tears, whatever it is, so to fall short like today is just gutting.”
He added on Sky Sports: “We struggled to get pressure on the ball [after the goal].
“I thought especially in the first half and at the start of the second half we pressed them well, put them under loads of pressure, especially high up the pitch, which allowed us to win balls and control the game a little bit better.
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‘Wave after wave‘
“After the goal, whether they were putting more men forward or us not being able to match them man-to-man, it was just wave after wave.
“The lads were putting blocks in but in the end it was not enough.
“The boys were always ready for any moment in the game,” Kane added.
“When we went ahead, the messaging was to go again and get another goal.
“Once they scored their two goals, it was to try and find something, but we couldn’t find any momentum to get back in the game.”
Tuchel’s decisions costly
Wayne Rooney feels the blame for England’s exit lies firmly at the feet of Tuchel, who is now planning for Saturday’s third-place play-off match with France.
Rooney said on Sky Sports: “We have to be honest. The decisions Thomas Tuchel made have cost England.
“If you’re an attacking player on that pitch and you go 1-0 up and you see the changes which the manager’s making, you’re losing belief, there’s only so many times you can get away with it.
“Then you start thinking, oh no we’re going to sit back for this long, how are we going to get through this?”
Tuchel penned an extension on his initial deal earlier this year through to Euro 2028, which will be co-hosted by England, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.
O’Hara calls for inquest
Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara called for change in the England dugout, saying on Sky Sports News: “Sack him. There has to be an inquest into the decision he made – one of the worst I’ve ever seen.
“That decision he made was worse than any decision Southgate made.
“We brought him in to get the job done, to get over the line.
“We had 12 per cent possession after the goal. Sack him.
“The whole reason we hired Tuchel was for these moments.
“We had Gareth Southgate and he messed it up against Croatia, Italy and Spain.
“Tuchel will make the right call at the right time but no, he goes five at the back and killed the team,” O’Hara concluded.
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