England appeared poised to reach their first World Cup final since 1966 after Anthony Gordon fired them into the lead early in the second half in Atlanta.
But England then invited wave after wave of late pressure from the defending champions and goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez secured a famous 2-1 victory.
Tuchel said his team had become “too passive” after taking the lead at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“We’re disappointed, we were so close but we got too passive after we scored and conceded a lot of chances,” Tuchel told the BBC.
“We could not turn the ball possession around and then conceded so many crosses, chances and shots,” the German coach added.
“We were close but couldn’t keep the level up after we scored.”
Thomas Tuchel reacts during England’s 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal in Atlanta, U.S., on July 15, 2026. Photo by AP |
Familiar tale of woe
After years of heartache and near-misses, Tuchel was viewed as the missing piece of the puzzle, the coach who could finally end the Three Lions’ decades-long wait for a major title.
Predecessor Gareth Southgate had led a talented generation of England players to two major finals, a World Cup semifinal and a World Cup quarterfinal.
But each of those campaigns ended in disappointment, with a recurring theme of Southgate being accused of failing to adapt his tactics quickly enough to changing circumstances within games.
Under the tactically astute Tuchel, who had memorably outfoxed Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to lead Chelsea to the Champions League title in 2021, things would be different.
Yet against Argentina in their World Cup semifinal on Wednesday, England bowed out of the tournament in painfully familiar fashion.
It was the third time since the 2018 World Cup that England have lost a major championship semifinal or final after taking the lead.
All three defeats, including Wednesday’s at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, followed the same template — a solid start, going 1-0 up, a desperate rearguard action, and finally, capitulation.
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Jude Bellingham (10) is consoled by Marc Guéhi and Jordan Henderson after England’s 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal in Atlanta on July 15, 2026. Photo by AP |
‘Deserved to get beat’
Former England striker Michael Owen said the defeat was a missed opportunity, sharply criticizing Tuchel’s second-half changes.
“We are a better team than Argentina, I’ve no doubt in my mind,” he wrote on X. “But we deserved to get beat in the end. In fact, it could have been 4-1.
“Bringing on 3 defenders at 1-0 up. What message does that send?… Until we understand that courage and bravery is controlling possession under pressure and not booting/heading it up the field 40 yards then this will always be the end result.”
Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart agreed. “I think Gareth Southgate will be at home watching this game,” the BBC pundit said.
“He took a lot of criticism when it came to the big moments with England, when they had the lead, about shutting up shop. But I don’t think anything has changed in that big moment out there.”
While Tuchel accepted responsibility for the defeat, he pushed back on suggestions that his second-half substitutions were to blame.
The England coach, who started his job at the beginning of 2025, said the tide had turned before his tactical tweaks as Argentina grew more desperate and chased the game.
Asked if he believed he had got his tactics wrong, he replied: “No, I believe that’s just the nature of the game.
“As soon as you lose, you get criticized. It’s just what it is. No one knows what would have happened if we had made different decisions.
“So it makes no sense to engage in that and lose my head. I’m responsible for them. I took them, so I take the criticism.”
Tuchel is likely to face serious scrutiny for his substitutions, notably the decision to bring goalscorer Gordon off for defender Ezri Konsa in the 72nd minute.
“I did also offensive substitutions in the last games, we just tried to help the players,” he said.
“We conceded a chance straight away and we decided to go to a back five because the gaps were far too open.
“Straight after our goal, without any substitutions, we conceded way too many crosses and way too many chances so we tried to help.”
Asked why England had shied away from a more adventurous approach when leading, Tuchel replied: “Yes, but it doesn’t help if you can’t get the ball. We couldn’t get out.
“Of course we wanted to go for the second goal but I did not have the feeling that offensive substitutions would help.
“We couldn’t win any balls, we couldn’t keep the ball so I think it was not a structural problem, we changed nothing. But the match changed completely.”
England captain Harry Kane said the team had “just tried to hang on a little too early”.
But he refused to point the finger at Tuchel’s game management after another opportunity slipped away.
“There’s always going to be talk now about trying to blame people or coaches,” Kane said. “It’s not the time for that. We win and lose together.
“We’ve done everything. He’d have been called a genius if it had worked. In the end, it didn’t work for many different reasons.
“That’s what we need to try and improve. We’re close, we’re knocking on the door, but as always in these final moments, we need to find that missing piece of the puzzle.”
Tuchel signed a two-year contract extension in February which lasts through to the 2028 European Championships which England is co-hosting.
Asked if he expected to remain England manager after Wednesday’s defeat, the German indicated he plans to honor his contract that leads up to the 2028 European Championship.
“We keep on going for contract until the home Euros, and I’m looking forward to that. Even like now, it’s difficult to look that far ahead,” he said.
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