The Prince of Wales was among the 'gutted' supporters inside Atlanta Stadium as England’s first men’s World Cup final in 60 years slipped through their fingers in stoppage time. Thomas Tuchel’s side had led through Anthony Gordon’s 10th-minute second-half strike, turned in from Morgan Rogers’ fine cross, and were minutes from a showdown with Spain. But Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez thrashed home from long range with five minutes left, before Lionel Messi’s cross was nodded home by Lautaro Martínez deep into injury time.
Tuchel’s defensive substitutions – including throwing on Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly – backfired badly, earning the manager a rating of just 2 from the Mirror, which said his changes 'contributed to England’s demise' despite getting the starting XI right. The defensive switch saw England shift to a back three, but Konsa was at fault for Martínez’s equaliser and the whole backline tired before the winner.
“England lost 2-1 to Argentina in World Cup semi-final after late goals by Fernandez and Martinez.”
Amid the heartbreak, Djed Spence produced a Bobby Moore-esque last-ditch tackle to stop Giuliano Simeone, earning an 8 rating from both the Guardian and the Mirror, who called him a 'wonderful, heroic warrior'. Marc Guehi was 'Mr Reliable', going under the radar with another solid display. Jordan Pickford pulled off a sensational save from González but had little chance with either goal.
Harry Kane surpassed Wayne Rooney’s caps record for an outfield player but the game largely passed him by, earning a 5 from the Guardian. Jude Bellingham could not save England this time, coming close to losing his rag in injury time. England have now been eliminated every time they have faced a top 10 ranked nation in the knockout stages of the World Cup since 1998 – seven times out of seven. The holders Argentina will face Spain in Sunday’s final, while England are left to wonder what might have been.