Many an England World Cup exit has been tainted by justifiable “what if’s”: What if Diego Maradona’s opening goal had been rightly ruled out in 1986? What if David Beckham had been officiated by a more lenient referee in 1998 (Sol Campbell would score a header in that match he probably feels should have counted). What if Wayne Rooney had been more mature in 2006? What if goal line technology had been in place in 2010, as Frank Lampard’s lob clearly crossed the line?
But on Wednesday in what might come to be known as “The Battle in Atlanta,” the Three Lions can surely have no complaints. A goal to the good from the impressive Anthony Gordon and players and fans could almost taste the New York-New Jersey final this Sunday.
Somehow, England withstood a battering from Argentina after taking the lead, with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford so inspired he could have probably run for Prime Minister of Great Britain and won in a landslide. But England invited the pressure, which invited trouble, which invited Lionel Messi.
With five minutes to play, the magical Messi teed up Enzo Fernández, who blasted home from distance. And then Messi and his mates could smell the win, to avoid the peril of extra-time and penalties. A perfectly placed cross found the head of Lautaro Martínez and that was that for Thomas Tuchel’s valiant but shattered men.
Tuchel and his players, particularly Gordon and Pickford today, and Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham across the tournament, have much to be proud of, but England simply weren’t capable of killing off the game and scoring a second goal. Instead, Argentina will take on Spain this Sunday, while England do battle with the old enemy, France, in Miami for the contest for third place on Saturday.
Euro 2028 will be here before we know it, and 62 years of hurt may well come to an end. Winning a tournament at the first time of asking is a tough challenge, and Tuchel knows that all too well. It’s called “hurt” for a reason.
