On July 16th, Beijing time, in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, Argentina defeated England 2-1 to advance to the final. According to Reuters, regarding England's sudden loss of two goals at the last moment and being turned around, England captain Harry Kane said after the match that the team only focused on maintaining its lead after scoring the first goal, which was far from enough in a semi-final match of the World Cup.
During the match, England took the lead with a goal by Gordon in the 55th minute. However, Argentina then launched a fierce attack, continuously challenging England's defense. In the 85th minute, Enzo scored a far-distance goal outside the penalty area, helping Argentina tie the score. In the 90+1 minute, Lautaro scored a header inside the penalty area, giving Argentina the victory over England.
Kane said in an interview with media after the game: "We played well for most of the match. After taking a 1-0 lead, we seemed to only focus on maintaining that advantage. This is far from enough in competitions of this level. It's really a pity. We have put a lot of effort into coming here, and our players have given everything they had."
England Team Captain Harry Kane IC Photo
Kane said frankly, "After we scored, whether they brought in more offensive players or we were unable to compete against them one-on-one, they continued to launch waves of attacks. We could only defend and block desperately. But in the end, that wasn't enough." He noted that after Argentina scored two goals, English players tried to find opportunities but failed to control the pace of the game.
The reversed defeat was regrettable for Kane, who said, "We had many exciting moments in this tournament, played many great games, and once again made it to the semi-finals. We kept saying that we were close to our goal, and that we just needed to find the missing piece of the puzzle in the final stages of the tournament. I feel sorry for the players, as well as for the team, the coaching staff, and the fans."
Reuters noted that after winning the World Cup in 1966, the England team never again made it to the World Cup finals. In this World Cup, the England team was just one step away from the finals, but they still lost in the semi-finals.
The match between England and Argentina is also a “rivalry battle”. The Falklands War in 1982 strained relations between the two countries for a long time. At the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, Maradona scored the famous “Hand of God” and the “Century Goal”, helping Argentina defeat England 2-1. This became one of the most legendary classic matches in World Cup history, and also pushed the grudges between the two teams to their peak.
After winning this crucial match, the Argentine players raised a banner with black letters on a white background, which read “Las Malvinas Son Argentinas” (The Malvinas Islands belong to Argentina).
Argentina has qualified for the finals in two consecutive World Cups, with only one match remaining before achieving a championship defense. In the final to be held on July 20th Beijing time, Argentina will face Spain.
