England LIVE REACTION as World Cup failure vs Argentina sees Thomas Tuchel heavily criticised

England LIVE REACTION as World Cup failure vs Argentina sees Thomas Tuchel heavily criticised England's hopes of World Cup glory are OVER thanks to a stunning Enzo Fernandez strike and Lautaro Martinez's injury-time header as Argentina book their place in the final vs Spain England's World Cup hopes are over after they fell short against reigning champions Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday night. Thomas Tuchel's men led 1-0 with five minutes of normal time remaining thanks to Anthony Gordon's goal, but defensive changes and an inability to keep possession proved crucial as a stunning Enzo Fernandez effort and an injury time header from substitute Lautaro Martinez sent Lionel Messi and co into another final. On a night where both national anthems were booed by opposing supporters and Argentina players celebrated post-match with a flag that declared 'The Falklands belong to Argentina' England stars were left gutted by their failure to reach Sunday's final against Spain. It was a night where Tuchel's substitutions badly backfired and a number of key men were NOT at their best, with Wayne Rooney pointing the finger of blame squarely at the Three Lions boss. Follow all the fallout and reaction to England's semi-final defeat below... - 6 Talking points: England throw away World Cup final chance - England player ratings: 5/10 trio struggle in heartbreaking defeat - Hitting back: Bellingham 'slaps' Argentina star in ugly full-time scenes - Tuchel to blame: England boss let down players with unacceptable changes Key Events The margins are small, and following last night's match, there were tears for two very different reasons. Harry Kane admits that his team were just trying to hold on against Argentina. "I'm gutted for the team, the staff, the fans. We played a good game for the majority of it. When we went 1-0 up, we seemed to just try to hold on, which at this level is not enough. We worked so hard to be here. The lads have given every bit of blood, sweat and tears. To fall short like we did is just gutting." Tuchel is certainly going to be under pressure following the manner of England's exit. Former England and Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler wasn't impressed with what he saw. "A great coach/manager isn't someone who relys the on bravery of defenders throwing themselves in front of shots/crosses or the luck of hanging on with X amount of defenders on the pitch." He's probably been England's player throughout the tournament, but Bellingham could only cut a frustrated figure on Wednesday night. We've already covered his post-match antics, but he was caught on camera during the game too. He was not impressed with Enzo Fernandez's goal. It appears Jude Bellingham instigated the confrontation that saw him slap Valentin Barco following England's World Cup exit. The Three Lions superstar had watched Argentina's celebrations before Barco joined his team-mates and then decided to intervene. “First of all, the World Cup is not over. There is still a match to play, that we are not looking forward to so much to but there is still a match to play. Of course then we keep on going. I have a contract until the home Euros and I’m looking forward to that even like now it is difficult to look that far ahead.” Andy Lines has written about what it was like in the stadium as England were knocked out of the World Cup in devastating fashion. There was no thunderous singing of Wonderwall. Just tears and near silence. England’s World Cup dream ended in heartbreak - again. Just like every single tournament since 1966. But this defeat seemed particularly cruel though. It was a case of “so close, but so far.” It's all you can say at this point... Argentina centre-back Cristian Romero has indicated both he and Lisandro Martinez's used "stupid" Gary Neville's comments as fuel to eliminate England. Neville recently labelled the pair the "best worst centre halves in the world.” "Licha and I were fired up before the game [because of Garry Neville's comments]. In England, they love talking before the games. I hope that when I retire, I’m not as stupid as him [ Gary Neville ]. I won’t criticise players.” England boss Thomas Tuchel retains the support of the FA and chief executive Mark Bullingham despite England's defeat to Argentina, according to the Times. He is expected to continue in charge of the side until after Euro 2028. Micah Richards has revealed that he discovered his father, Lincoln, passed away unexpectedly before tonight's England match. The BBC pundit continued with his duties despite the tragic news. The former Manchester City defender has paid an emotional tribute. Condolences to Richards and his family. "I think it was a very close match, I was happy with the way we played it. Very close match. We had the moment and took it and went 1-0 up. I think at that point of the match it was deserved."Unfortunately and strangely enough it marked a complete momentum switch in the game. Argentina played with more risk, more rhythm, played like they had nothing to lose any more, which freed them up and held us back as we played with a feeling we had a lot to lose."We dropped immediately back to a deep block which is not a problem but we struggled to stay active and we struggled to defend crosses and we struggled to get physical on the runners into the box. Argentina then made changes with four strikers, wide wingers, two strikers in the middle so we tried to adapt to that in a back five which is a wider structure to try to get a shorter distance to the players with the crosses."It was difficult for us, we could not find any duel and could not get the momentum back at all." England boss Thomas Tuchel has just hosted his post-match press conference. Stay tuned to find out what the German coach has to say... It's no surprise to see who the man of the match was. Lionel Messi has claimed the award once more and was presented it by former Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero. Plenty of England fans made the trip to Atlanta and every single one of them have had the same reaction. Harry Kane has said that he could follow in Lionel Messi's footsteps by playing in another World Cup. “It's still too early to say. I take it year by year and see how I feel. I love playing for England," the England captain said. “But of course, four years is a long time. Then again, you can see someone like Messi still performing at the highest level even at an older age. I honestly don't know." Argentina hero Lautaro Martinez has claimed that England had tired themselves out, allowing the South American side too book a spot in the World Cup final. He said : "Truly I don't know what to say. It is very overwhelming. I always dreamt of this moment with the national team, since my Dad bought me my first pair of boots. "This for me means more than just a goal, to be in a final... I have my kids here with me, they have helped me to slow down. Just an unforgettable moment, one that we need to enjoy. Today I am a man enjoying life. Enzo scored an amazing goal too. I'm calm and assured because this team continues to show what it's made of. "They got tired. They had pressed for 60 minutes and they could not give more. We started to push and we got momentum because we were calmer as took more control of the ball and got higher up the pitch. In the end we got the two goals, and three and a half years on we're in another World Cup final." Aston Villa star Emi Martinez has said that England handed Argentina the advantage in dropping back. He said: "It was crazy. I thought we played really well in the first half. We dominated them. We know how strong they are in set-pieces and how physical they are. I've played there for 16 years and I know them really well. We've seen a shocking statistic floating around on social media that claims England had just 12% possession following Anthony Gordon's goal. If there's one reason why they're out of the World Cup, it's that. Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni has said his side's heart is the reason why they are now in a second consecutive World Cup final. He said: "Well, I'm lost for words. A great happiness for our country and our people. And another great happines for this group who just do not know when they are beaten. "I can tell them that we are going to try to win, we're going to leave it all out there, but the truth is that to do this is very difficult. It's very difficult for people to understand what our players have given. It is so impressive. "We are unique. It's not arrogance, it is all heart. Today so many people arrived here to support us and for that I am truly grateful. This shirt merits us giving absolutely everything possible until the very end. To not spare anything at all." Dan Burn has said that he thought England were set for the World Cup final before their heart-breaking defeat. "I wish I had the answer for that. I am very, very proud of what we've done this tournament. Honestly, I thought we were going to do it. I had that feeling. Really thought we had something going. It's really fine margins in this level of football. Argentina have been there and done it and it probably showed." Chris Sutton has criticised Thomas Tuchel for a 'coaching disaster' against Argentina. He said: "That was a coaching catastrophe from Thomas Tuchel. The fact that England get themsleves in front and then basically hand Argentina the initiative. Defending tdeep andanother defender on, it's quite a simple game football, you have to get up th pitch. "You can't expect to defend for 30 minutes against the quality Argentina had. It's all on the coach where I'm concerned. He made the changes. He was negative, so the question which I'm going to ask is how can you trust Thomas Tuchel to take this team forward? "I don't care what anyone says, England have had a generous run in this competition and they have not played well in one 90 minutes. "A World Cup semi-final, there's a big opportunity to get over the line against an average Argentina side and they didn't look average in the last 30 minutes, far from it, but I think England helped them with that. I think that was a coaching disaster." There are some glum faces within the England ranks tonight. Thomas Tuchel has taking the blame for England's misguided substitutions vs Argentina. He said: "I did also offensive substitutions in the last games, we just tried to help the players. We conceded [a chance] straight away and we decided to go to a back five because the gaps were far too open. "They won every header, they kept crossing and crossing so we went to a back five to close the gaps inside and be strong in the air. Straight after our goal, without any substitutions, we conceded way too many crosses and way too many chances so we tried to help."Of course, the responsibility is on the coach and if it doesn't go well, it is easy to say it was wrong." Former Spurs star Giovani Lo Celso unfurled a Falklands banner in the aftermath of Argentina's win against England. England boss Thomas Tuchel has given his reaction to England's World Cup exit and claims his side were too passive. He said: "We were so close but we got too passive after we scored and conceded a lot of chances. Could not turn the ball possession around. Conceded so so many crosses and shots. We were close but couldn't keep the level up after we scored." These are the scenes from across the country as England crash out of the World Cup. Harry Kane has given his thoughts on the Three Lions' defeat. He said: "Gutted for the boys, gutted for everyone - the team, the staff, the fans. "We played a good game the large majority of it. When we went 1-0 up we seemed to try and hold on, which at this level is not enough. So, just gutted because we've worked so hard to be here and the lads have given every last bit of running, blood, sweat, tears. "So to fall short is just gutting." On why England struggled to contain Argentina after taking the lead, he added:"We struggled to get pressure on the ball. Especially first half and start of the second half, we pressed them well, we put them under loads of pressure high up the pitch which then allowed us to win balls and control the game a bit better. "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. "Lads were putting blocks in but, in the end, it just wasn't enough." Only one team have taken the lead in the World Cup semi finals in the 21st century and gone on to lose. That's England. They were defeated by Croatia in 2018 and now Argentina in 2026. It's tough being an England fan. Wayne Rooney has said that England did not get the luck they needed to reach the World Cup final. He said: "These fans have spent a lot of money to be out here. I expected more in this game. "Argentina are the world champions. We knew it was going to be the difference. "The changes we made didn't help us. Devastated. Sometimes you need a bit of luck to win these tournaments."