For the second time in eight years, England’s men led a World Cup semi-final. But for Croatia in 2018, they faced Argentina in 2026.

England went ahead in the 55th minute of Wednesday’s game in Atlanta, when Anthony Gordon finished from Morgan Rogers’ cross.

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But late goals from Enzo Fernandez and – in the second minute of injury time – Lautaro Martinez meant the Three Lions missed out on their first men’s World Cup final appearance since 1966.

Dan Burn, who entered as a second-half substitute with the score at 1-0, expressed the disappointment of the England players.

“Gutted,” said the Newcastle defender. “Absolutely gutted.

“We nailed the gameplan pretty well. To go 1-0 up… then we got too passive, conceded too many crosses and too many chances.

“When you’re playing a team of that quality, it is going to cost you. This will haunt me for a long time, I think.”

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England had previously shown strength in the tournament, beating Mexico 3-2 in the last 16 even while playing most of the second half with 10 men, and then holding on to defeat Norway 2-1 in the quarter-finals.

When asked why they could not sustain their form against the holders, Burn replied, “I don’t know.

“It is human nature [to be nervous] when you’re that close to doing something you haven’t done since ’66 and be in a final.

“Argentina have done that and got that confidence. The last few games we have been able to defend the box so well. We thought we could do that again, but we weren’t as tight in the box as we would have liked.”

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Next, England must prepare for Saturday’s third-place play-off against France (22:00 BST), which will be live on the BBC.

“I am still very proud of what we have done at this World Cup,” Burn added.

“I don’t think anyone really gave us a chance. We have done a lot of good, and honestly I thought we were going to do it.”

A similar story for devastated England

England have now lost in the semi-finals in two of the past three men’s World Cups, and were defeated in the European Championship finals in 2021 and 2024.

“There’s not much to say – everyone is gutted,” said England captain Harry Kane.

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“When you’re so close, 10 minutes away, and it slips out of your hands like that, obviously the lads are devastated.

“We did so well for 60 minutes. We scored and deserved to be ahead, then we struggled to keep the ball, struggled to put pressure on the ball, and it allowed them to create more momentum and chances in the final third.

“We’re going to have to find out how we can improve in those situations. It’s been probably the missing piece now for probably the past four or five tournaments.”

Bayern Munich striker Kane has scored six goals at this World Cup and could still win the Golden Boot, although both Lionel Messi, who assisted both Argentina goals, and France’s Kylian Mbappe are on eight.

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Kane, who will turn 33 later this month, declined to speculate on whether he would still be playing by the time of the 2030 World Cup.

“It’s too early to talk about that – for me it’s about taking it year by year,” said Kane.

“The national team is my pride and joy, it’s what I love to do most.

“Four years is a long way away and I’m 33 in the summer, but as you see with Leo [Messi], he’s still performing at the highest level [at 39]. For now it’s about processing another tough loss.”

Like Kane, Jude Bellingham has also scored six goals for England at this tournament.

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“The lads did everything they could over the course of the tournament – I can’t fault the effort and the fight,” said the Real Madrid midfielder.

“That’s the life of a footballer at this level. The more beautiful the journey, the more heartbreaking the end is. I’m really proud of all my teammates – they put in a magnificent shift over the last few weeks.

“I wanted to be part of an England squad that finally did it and finally got it over the line. To be here telling the fans the same things they have heard for years and years, it’s really gutting.”

‘We invited too much pressure’

Despite the defeat, head coach Thomas Tuchel retains the backing of the Football Association and is expected to lead the team into Euro 2028.

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However, he expressed surprise that his side was unable to maintain their lead.

“We went 1-0 up but it totally turned the momentum in their favour,” Tuchel told BBC Radio 5 Live. “They took all the risks after. They played totally free after that with all the risks and a lot of quality.

“They made offensive substitutions and suddenly had four players in the forward line and we couldn’t stop the crosses. We couldn’t stop the runners in the box.

“We were basically not physical enough. We couldn’t win duels and we couldn’t get hold of the ball. It was a total momentum shift from our goal.”

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Tuchel mentioned that his players had given “everything” during the tournament.

“The conviction and the self-confidence after going 1-0 up was just not there,” he said.

“They played with a mindset of nothing to lose, took a lot of risks, and we could not get the momentum back.”

England will co-host the European Championship in 2028, although they still must qualify.

When asked if the team is capable of winning a major tournament, Tuchel asserted, “Yes, of course we are, even if I have no proof of that at the moment.

“In big defeats it’s important to take them with respect, digest them, stick together, and second of all it’s about the reaction to it. Of course, we feel very close, and still Argentina showed the gap in the last half-hour.

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“Unfortunately, we were close and couldn’t push over the line. We wanted to push over the line and that’s our goal, and we are very, very disappointed and will try again.”