Argentina Beat England to Reach World Cup Final

Once ahead, England retreated, and Coach Thomas Tuchel made two defensive changes in the 82nd minute. Dan Burn replaced Reece James, while Nico O'Reilly came on for midfielder Declan Rice. Fernandez scored three minutes later, and the changes drew sharp criticism. The Daily Mail's chief football reporter gave Tuchel 3 out of 10, saying he had turned defensive too early. "They pressed for 60 minutes and then just ran out of steam," Lautaro Martinez said. The data company Opta found only one earlier case this century of a World Cup semi-finalist scoring first and still missing the final. That was England too, beaten by Croatia in 2018.

England have now waited 60 years for a place in a World Cup final, their last one coming in 1966. Captain Harry Kane said his side "seemed to just try and hold on" once it went 1-0 up. That is not enough at that level, he said. Defender Dan Burn admitted he felt numb and in shock at the whistle. Argentina, meanwhile, have won every knockout match in this tournament with a late goal. Spain, their opponents on Sunday, have conceded just one goal all tournament. A win would make Argentina only the third men's team to lift the trophy twice in a row.