Thomas Tuchel admitted his team “got too passive” after Anthony Gordon put England ahead, as Argentina stormed back to win 2-1 in Atlanta and dash England’s World Cup hopes. The German manager, hired 18 months ago on a deal extended before the tournament, now faces intense scrutiny after a semi-final defeat that, according to chief sports writer Andy Dunn in the Mirror, showed Tuchel “could not have done more wrong after taking the lead.”
England had reached the last four on the back of Jude Bellingham’s heroics. In the quarter-final against Norway, Bellingham scored a brilliant equaliser and then a poacher’s finish in extra time after a spill by goalkeeper Ørjan Håskjold Nyland, driving England to a 2-1 win. But the cohesion Tuchel craved never materialised. Against Argentina, England managed only seven touches in the opposition penalty area across the entire contest, a stat that Dunn called evidence of vulnerability “to substitutes of the highest quality” – Lautaro Martinez came off the bench after 80 minutes to score the winner.
“Tuchel's England lose World Cup semi to Argentina after going passive following Gordon's goal.”
Dunn argued that Tuchel was brought in with one brief: to win the World Cup. “He has failed to complete that brief,” Dunn wrote, calling the manner of defeat “dismal.” The FA, however, have no intention of changing manager, sources briefed after the match – a decision Dunn branded “daft” given Tuchel’s £5m-a-year salary. Gary Lineker, the former England striker, even joked that Tuchel might be a “German spy” who “infiltrated” the Three Lions.
Argentina, seeking a second consecutive World Cup final, have now scored ten goals after the hour mark in this tournament. England, meanwhile, must regroup for the third-place play-off against France – a bronze final that feels a long way from the golden promise of Bellingham’s extra-time winner. The question now is whether Tuchel can salvage anything from a campaign that began with hope and ended with regret.