Anthony Gordon had given England the lead, and for 85 minutes the Three Lions looked set for a World Cup final. Then Enzo Fernandez crashed in an equaliser from range, and in injury time Lionel Messi stood up a cross for Lautaro Martinez to head a dramatic winner. The 2-1 defeat in Atlanta left England fans devastated in pubs and fan zones across the UK, but the heartbreak on the pitch was matched by ugly scenes off it.
Shocking footage shared on social media showed Argentina supporters hurling glass bottles, benches, bins and even tables at each other in downtown Atlanta during a pre-match Banderazo flag-waving rally. Around 10,000 Argentina fans had gathered for the event. The violence broke out between rival supporters of the San Lorenzo and Huracan clubs, with tensions between the two sets of fans dating back to clashes in Russia in 2018. Police separated the groups and at least one man was handcuffed and led away. Atlanta Police confirmed it had enhanced policing for the semi-final, which the FBI had classed as the highest risk match of the tournament. Separate gates were installed for each set of supporters, but tickets sold through resale made keeping fans apart difficult.
“Argentina beat England 2-1 in World Cup semi-final after Tuchel's defensive subs backfire, as fan violence erupts in Atlanta.”
Back in the UK, Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the lead of football policing for the National Police Chiefs' Council, praised England fans in the US for their behaviour, but said: "It’s a real shame that the same cannot be said about the behaviour of fans back home here in the UK. Over Saturday evening, into the early hours of Sunday morning we had over 500 incidents reported, with more than 100 arrests across the country."
Thomas Tuchel came under heavy criticism for his substitutions. With England 1-0 up, he brought on a raft of defenders to try and see the game out, a tactic that backfired. BBC pundit Wayne Rooney fumed: "We got ourselves in such a good position and we didn’t know what to do. We sat back, allowed them to come on to us. They put us under pressure and we cracked. As soon as they got the first goal, it was inevitable they’d get the second."
Despite the outcry, Tuchel is not expected to leave. He signed a contract extension five months ago that ties him to England until the end of Euro 2028. But bookmakers have already installed Pep Guardiola as the 5-2 favourite to be the next England manager, ahead of Eddie Howe (10-3) and Mauricio Pochettino (7-1). For now, though, the German remains in charge, and the painful question of what might have been lingers over a nation.
