Express & Star chief sports writer Matt Maher has his say on England’s defeat.
This might have been England’s most painful ever World Cup exit.
Certainly, it ranks as the most regrettable since 1970 when, 2-0 up against West Germany and seemingly cruising toward the semi-finals, Alf Ramsey removed Bobby Charlton and Martin Peters from the action and watched his team crash to defeat in extra-time.
There has been no shortage of heartache in between. Yet Argentina 1998 and Portugal 2006 could be blamed, in part, on getting the rough side of refereeing calls and the respective skulduggery of Diego Simeone and Cristiano Ronaldo.
On neither occasion did glory feel so close as it did in Atlanta on Wednesday night. England’s other semi-final losses prior to then, in 1990 and 2018, could be tempered by a sense the team could not really have done much more in tight games effectively decided by the bounce of a ball. Going out in the last-four to Croatia eight years ago definitely felt like an overachievement, just two years on from the embarrassment of Iceland.
This was different. This was supposed to be the time England got over the line, aided by their expensively-recruited head coach, Thomas Tuchel.
True, the huge challenge of Spain still awaited in the final. But that first World Cup final since 1966 felt more achievable than ever. When Anthony Gordon flicked home Morgan Rogers’ 55th minute cross, a nation truly believed.
And then? Capitulation, of the kind which will be picked over for days, weeks, months and quite possibly years to come.
In the 37 minutes which separated Gordon’s opener and Lautaro Martinez’s winner for Argentina, England had just 12 per cent possession. By the time referee Ismail Elfath blew the full-time whistle, the Three Lions were fortunate not to have been beaten by more.
Make no mistake, this was a shocking collapse from a team which lost control of a match seemingly there for the taking.
In the aftermath, much of the spotlight inevitably fell on Tuchel. The German’s supposed tactical ingenuity was meant to be the difference. He had already taken a fair chunk of the plaudits for wins over Congo, Mexico and Norway. No longer would the blame for an England tournament exit be placed at the door of the man in the dugout, as was so often the case with Gareth Southgate.
And yet, here we are again. When it came to the crunch, Tuchel made decisions which at best might be considered questionable and at worst a sign of surrender.
Bringing on Ezri Konsa, then Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly, effectively left his team playing attack v defence against arguably the best player in the sport’s history.
Horses for courses is how Tuchel previously described his selections. Well, this was the equivalent of subbing in a flat runner to race at Aintree. It was as though, somehow, he forgot they were no longer playing Mexico.
In Tuchel’s defence (no pun intended), England’s retreat had started before he made the changes. It had begun, in truth, from the moment Gordon put them in front. Even more stunning than the possession stat is the fact, between the 66th minute and Enzo Fernandez’s 85th minute equaliser, England completed just TWO passes.
For a midfield which in Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson and Jude Bellingham contains three players all transferred for more than £100million, that raises some awkward questions. Just maybe, England aren’t quite so good as advertised?
Even amid the jubilation of those earlier knockout wins, was an acknowledgement England had made things much harder than they needed to be. Tuchel, like Southgate before him, could not solve their inability to control matches. His big advantage was having two match-winners, in Bellingham and Harry Kane, operating at world-class level. Take the emotion out of it, sit back and across the whole piece England’s World Cup was a story of disjointed team performances saved by big moments. It was not and is not a recipe for long-term success.
Bellingham’s performances were a huge positive, albeit the needless slap of Argentina substitute Valentin Barco, regardless of provocation, meant his tournament ended on a controversial note.
Even for a player who, at the age of 23, already has a Champions League winners’ medal on the shelf, this past month felt a step forward, proof of his commitment and class. With Bellingham in the ranks, England will always stand a chance. The concern is they have wasted a wonderful opportunity when he and Kane, who at 32 might have played his final World Cup, were firing on all cylinders.
Memories of Bellingham’s goals against Mexico and Norway will never fade. They were great moments yet as a team, England supporters have the right to demand more. There is still no silverware to show for the FA’s colossal investment. This might have only been England’s fourth-ever World Cup semi-final but going out at this point was, in reality, no more than par.
That ultimate goal, that trophy which on Wednesday morning felt closer than ever, has now rarely felt further away.
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