ATLANTA: England’s long wait to win a World Cup or even reach the final goes on after a loss to holders Argentina on Wednesday, but manager Thomas Tuchel prefers to see it in football terms and not as a curse after a clash he described as two separate games.

England have not reached the decider since lifting the World Cup for the only time in 1966, and they looked like getting that monkey off their back until Argentina netted two late goals for a 2-1 win in the semi-final.

“I love to see these things in a football matter and not through football curses,” Tuchel told rep­o­rters. “I don’t believe so much in an English thing and in a curse or whatever, history repea­ting itself in these moments.

“It’s just like it’s different coaches, different players, different situations, different opponents. So I think basically I believe in the football thing.”

England took the lead in the 55th minute through Anthony Gordon, but Argentina then seized control, and Tuchel’s side failed to withstand the pressure or find a way to gain some possession.

“I think at that point of the match, it was deserved, that we take our moment and go 1-0 up,” Tuchel said. “Unfortunately, and strangely enough, it marked then a complete momentum switch in the game.

“Argentina played with more risk, played with more rhythm, played with a feeling maybe that they have nothing to lose anymore, which freed them up and held us back because we obviously played suddenly with a feeling that we have a lot to lose.

“I think it’s two completely different matches. It’s until the goal and then after the goal.”

Tuchel received great praise for getting England this far, coming through tough battles with DR Congo, Mexico and Norway, but is already under fire for the changes made against Argentina after taking the lead and setting up too defensively.

“That’s just the nature of the game. As soon as you lose, you get criticised,” the German said.

“That’s just what it is. You get criticised after. No one knows what would have happened if you had made different decisions. So it makes no sense to engage in that and lose my head. I’m responsible for them. I took them, so I take the criticism.”

KANE ‘GUTTED’

Meanwhile, Harry Kane said he was “gutted” for England and their fans after the defeat.

“Gutted for the boys, gutted for everyone — the team, the staff, the fans,” England captain Kane told the BBC.

“We played a good game, the large majority of it. When we went 1-0 up, we seemed to try to hold on, which, at this level, is not enough.

Bayern Munich forward Kane, who scored six goals during the tournament, said Tuchel’s men had struggled to repel constant attacks from the defending champions.

“After the goal, whether it was them putting more men forward or us not being able to match them man for man, it was just wave after wave,” he said.

“Lads were putting blocks in but, in the end, it just wasn’t enough.”

He said England had not planned to rely on defending after Gordon’s goal.

“When we went ahead, the messaging was to go again and get another goal,” he added.

“Then once they scored their two goals, it was to try and find something but we couldn’t quite get the momentum back in the game.”

Kane also refused to point the finger at Tuchel’s game management.

“There’s always going to be talk now about trying to blame people or coaches,” Kane said. “It’s not the time for that. We win and lose together.

“We’ve done everything. He’d have been called a genius if it had worked. In the end, it didn’t work for many different reasons.

“That’s what we need to try and improve. We’re close, we’re knocking on the door, but as always in these final moments, we need to find that missing piece of the puzzle. “

Kane turns 33 later this month and has refused to be drawn on whether he still imagines being part of the team by the time the next World Cup comes around.

He may be inspired by the performances of Lionel Messi, 39, who has scored eight goals at the 2026 tournament.

“As a person, it’s always just about taking it year by year and how I feel,” Kane told reporters.

“The England national team is my pride and joy. It’s what I love to do more than anything.

“Obviously, four years is a long way away. I’ll be 33 this summer, but as you see on the other hand with Leo there, he’s still performing at the highest level.”

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2026