Harry Kane was left “gutted” after England’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina – but the captain vowed “we go again” as the team now face France in the third-place play-off. The Three Lions led 1-0 through Anthony Gordon’s second-half goal, only for Argentina to hit back with strikes from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez to win 2-1 at Atlanta Stadium. England will now face France for bronze, while Argentina meet Spain in the final.
Kane, speaking after the match, described himself as “gutted” and said “we go again”, according to the England captain’s own analysis. But the forward’s conduct on the pitch has come under fire from former Premier League referee Graham Scott, who criticised Kane’s “irritating” behaviour towards match official Ismael Elfath. Scott, speaking to talkSPORT, said Kane was “very repetitive” with sarcastic leading questions such as “Is he going to be allowed to do that all day? Are you going to give us anything? Do you know there are two teams out here?”
“Harry Kane says he's 'gutted' after England's World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, but insists 'we go again'.”
“It just irritates you,” Scott said. “I wish you’d just go away… if anything, when the 50-50 call comes in, ‘No, you’re not getting it, because I’ve taken against you as a person now.’ It doesn’t work, Harry, and I’d love to speak to him about it because he could be effective, sure, but what he’s trying now doesn’t work.”
Scott, who spent 10 years in the Premier League, added: “It really annoys me watching our players trying to chip away at the ref because that’s not going to work. I’ve been on the receiving end of it from these people. It just annoys you. It doesn’t get you what you want. The Argentinians seem rather more effective at it – so what can we learn from that?”
The referee handed out four yellow cards: Argentina’s Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Romero and Rodrigo De Paul were booked, while England’s Elliot Anderson was cautioned. England now turn their attention to the bronze final against France, a match that offers a chance to salvage some pride after a heartbreaking semi-final collapse. Kane, described as feeling “empty” after the defeat, will hope to lead his side to a consolation victory before the summer break.
