Former Lincoln City loanee Morgan Rogers provided an assist, but England were knocked out of the World Cup after Argentina scored two late goals to win a dramatic semi-final 2-1 in Atlanta, writes Abi Hartnell.
Following their victory against Norway, England’s next challenge came against an Argentina side looking to reach a second consecutive World Cup final.
Argentina found it difficult against a strong England team who pressed well throughout the game. Lionel Messi and Harry Kane both struggled to get heavily involved during the first half, but the contest began to swing Messi’s way after the break as he started to test Jordan Pickford and become more influential.
Anthony Gordon gave England the lead from a Rogers cross, but Enzo Fernandez equalised in the 85th minute before Lisandro Martinez headed home from a Messi delivery to complete Argentina’s comeback.
England were left heartbroken after conceding twice in quick succession, having appeared to be closing in on a place in the final.
Before the game, England manager Thomas Tuchel said his team “will be up for the fight” and predicted that “it will be an emotional game and a tough game”.
Kane also explained that England could not afford to view the semi-final as a contest against Messi alone.
“Ultimately, we know how good of a player he is, we know what he has done in the game and how consistent he has been for so long, but the game is against Argentina, not Messi,” he said.
“We have a lot of preparation to do. They are a great team with fantastic players.”
England Start Strongly
Argentina kicked off at the Atlanta Stadium as England’s captain immediately hunted down the ball and attempted to put their opponents under pressure.
Fouls came early in the game as both sides grew into the contest with plenty of fight and aggression. England soon settled in possession and started to build some momentum against Argentina’s high press.
The first corner of the game arrived in the seventh minute. Declan Rice delivered from the right towards a crowded penalty area, but Argentina intercepted the ball and cleared the danger.
England had started strongly despite a number of sliding challenges from their opponents, although the score remained unchanged.
As Argentina became more settled, they allowed England slightly more room to play. Tuchel’s side were eventually able to get behind the defensive line, with Reece James registering England’s first shot on target. James struck a low effort towards goal, but Emiliano Martinez gathered comfortably.
Argentina began to gain more possession after 20 minutes, particularly in central areas, but England’s midfield prevented them from finding a way through. Messi delivered Argentina’s first corner in the 23rd minute, although the ball was quickly cleared before referee Ismail Elfath brought the players across for the first-half hydration break.
Rogers was making his third consecutive start of the tournament and continued to make his presence felt in midfield. The former Imp put in several important challenges and helped to stop Alexis Mac Allister and Fernandez from getting closer to England’s goal.
Chances began to arrive at both ends, but England enjoyed the better of the later stages of the first half. Rice curled a delivery towards the back post, where John Stones was waiting, but the defender could only direct his header off target.
Another England free-kick was delivered into a similar area soon afterwards. Several players moved towards the ball before Martinez eventually collected following a scramble.
Elliot Anderson received his first yellow card of the tournament in the 38th minute after challenging Messi. The resulting Argentina free-kick was laid off to Fernandez, who fired from around 30 yards and briefly caught Pickford off guard.
Three minutes later, the referee produced another card after Rogers drove through the midfield and had his shirt pulled by Fernandez. The Argentina midfielder was booked for stopping the former Lincoln City loanee’s run.
The final minutes of the first half were tense, with both sides continuing to compete physically, but neither could find a breakthrough.
Half-Time: England 0-0 Argentina
England kicked off the second half and immediately played the ball back towards Pickford before looking to find Kane further forward.
Argentina created the first major opening of the half in the 47th minute. Djed Spence lost the ball inside his own penalty area, allowing Julian Alvarez to regain possession. Alvarez managed two attempts, with the first saved by Pickford and the second sent into the side netting.
Argentina then suffered a brief lapse in concentration which almost allowed England to get behind them. England quickly moved the ball towards the opposite end of the pitch, where Rogers went one against one with Nicolas Tagliafico. Rogers beat his man and sent a dangerous cross into the penalty area, but none of his teammates were able to turn it home.
The match became increasingly physical as Argentina attempted to attack again, with the referee allowing several strong challenges to go unpunished. Cristian Romero then received Argentina’s second yellow card after wrapping his arms around Jude Bellingham to prevent another dangerous England attack.
England’s positive play was rewarded when Gordon opened the scoring. The move began with Kane inside England’s own half. The captain picked out Rice on the run before Rogers took over the attack and delivered a low, bobbling cross into Gordon’s path. Gordon met the ball first time and struck it beyond Martinez to put England 1-0 ahead.
Argentina attempted to respond immediately after the restart, but England were producing some of their best football of the tournament. Rogers continued to carry England forward and helped to create another opportunity for Kane, although the captain’s effort was deflected off target before Martinez collected.
Argentina began to build a number of dangerous attacks as they searched for an equaliser. Stones, Kane and Bellingham all made important defensive contributions to prevent them from turning those attacks into clear chances.
After the second hydration break, Argentina made three further attacking changes as they attempted to strengthen their chances of finding a goal.
Their biggest opportunity fell to Messi. The Argentina captain directed a header towards goal, but Pickford moved across his line and produced a vital save to keep England in front.
Pickford was called upon again minutes later when Mac Allister threw himself at the ball and guided it towards the bottom-left corner. The England goalkeeper made the first save before reacting to keep out another effort which followed.
Rogers then tried to calm the game and carry England away from their own goal. The former Imp led a three-against-three attack alongside Kane and Bellingham before firing a right-footed shot which was deflected by Romero.
Argentina quickly regained possession and continued to force Pickford into action as England dropped deeper. Their pressure finally produced an equaliser in the 85th minute. Messi played a short corner from the right and received the ball back before laying it into the path of Fernandez on the edge of the penalty area. Fernandez unleashed a powerful strike which found the back of the net and made the score 1-1.
Shortly after the restart, Stones cleared another ball into England’s penalty area before going down with a head injury. He was able to continue, but Argentina were soon on the attack again. Mac Allister came close to putting his side in front when his effort struck the outside of the post.
Argentina did not have to wait much longer for their second goal. Messi recovered the ball and curled an inswinging delivery towards the back post, where Martinez was waiting to head past Pickford and give Argentina the lead for the first time.
England had gone from being minutes away from the World Cup final to trailing 2-1 after conceding two goals in quick succession. With seven minutes remaining, England were forced to send the ball forward towards the Argentina penalty area in search of an equaliser.
Tuchel’s side continued to push as time ran out, with the match becoming increasingly heated, but Argentina held on to secure their place in the final.
Full-Time: England 1-2 Argentina
A crowd of 68,239 watched the semi-final at the Atlanta Stadium as England’s World Cup campaign ended in painful fashion.
Messi was named player of the match after becoming increasingly influential during the second half and providing the assists for both Argentina goals.
Rogers had once again shown his value to England. The former Lincoln City loanee worked hard in midfield, drove forward with the ball and supplied the cross which allowed Gordon to give England the lead.
After the game, Kane expressed his pride in what the team had given throughout the tournament.
“It’s pride, for sure,” he said. “What the boys have given to the nation, everything, every bit of running distance, blood, sweat, tears, whatever it has taken.
“The nights we have had, the tough games we have come through as a group, I can only be proud of the boys.
“Of course, we all felt like we had enough to get to the final and win, but it is another kick in the teeth.
“I spoke before about knocking on the door. We are doing that. We just need to find that missing piece to get over the line.”
Bellingham also described how difficult it was to accept another painful England defeat.
“I think we can take a lot from the experience, but it is so gutting,” he said.
“I wanted to be part of an England squad that finally did it and finally got over the line.
“To be here telling the fans unfortunately the same things that they have probably heard for years and years is really gutting.”
Bellingham also said he wished he could have given supporters “one or two more wins”, underlining the disappointment felt within the England squad after coming so close.
England will next face France in the Bronze final in Miami on Saturday, with kick-off at 10 pm UK time. Argentina will face Spain in the World Cup final at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday evening, with the game kicking off at 8 pm UK time.
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