Tuchel unbothered despite England’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina
By Joel Masibo, July 16, 2026England manager Thomas Tuchel admitted that Argentina’s fearless approach after conceding played a key role in his side’s dramatic 2-1 loss in Wednesday’s FIFA World Cup semi-final.
England appeared to be on course for victory after Anthony Gordon broke the deadlock, but the defending champions mounted a late comeback. Enzo Fernandez restored parity in the 85th minute before Lautaro Martinez netted the decisive goal seven minutes later, sending Argentina into Sunday’s final against Spain.
Tuchel’s reflections
Looking back on the turning point, Tuchel said his team had been in control until Argentina changed the tempo of the contest.
“We took the lead, and I think it was deserved. Unfortunately, it marked a complete momentum shift,” the England manager told a post-match news conference. “Argentina played with more risk and rhythm; they had nothing to lose, and that freed them up.”
The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach explained that England struggled to withstand the increased pressure after surrendering the initiative.
“We dropped back into a deep block, we struggled to defend crosses, it was difficult to win duels, ball possession and couldn’t get the momentum back and they took the advantage and won the game,” he said.
He added that his players were unable to regain control once Argentina seized the momentum.
“We weren’t active enough, we didn’t find duels, we struggled to defend the crosses. The positioning in the box was better but we weren’t able to stop the runners into the box. We struggled to stay active and get ball possession to escape the pressure and turn the momentum around. I tried to solve it from the sideline. I’m sad and upset for the players because we were close.”
Tuchel viewed the encounter as a tale of two contrasting phases, insisting England had deserved their advantage before Argentina’s late surge transformed the game.
“I think it was a totally even game. The story is always told from the back. If you saw the last half hour, it’s Argentina. If you see the first 55 minutes, we deserved to be up. It was like two different matches,” Tuchel said. “But the bigger the game, the harder it is when you lose. We gave our all and we respected the opponent.”
The England boss also addressed his late tactical changes, having introduced several defensive players in a bid to preserve the lead. He accepted that those decisions would inevitably attract criticism following the defeat.
Tuchel defiant
“I just believe that’s the nature of the game. When you lose you get criticized, that’s the way it is,” he said. “No one knows what might have happened if we made different decisions. I took those decisions and now I’ll take the criticism.”
England will now shift their attention to Saturday’s third-place playoff against France in Miami. Although disappointed to have missed out on the final, Tuchel said his team would approach the fixture professionally.
“There’s still a match to play which we’re not really looking forward to,” he said, adding that he planned to remain in charge until the expiration of his contract in 2028.