England captain Harry Kane admitted his side became too defensive after taking the lead as the Three Lions suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final on Wednesday in Atlanta.
The defeat ended England’s hopes of reaching their first World Cup final since 1966, while defending champions Argentina advanced to Sunday’s final, where they will face Spain.
Speaking after the match, Kane said he was devastated by the result and praised the commitment of his teammates throughout the tournament.
“I’m gutted for the team, the staff and 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,” Kane said, according to FIFA.
The England skipper acknowledged that his side lost control after taking the lead and admitted they paid the price against a world-class Argentine team.
Despite the painful defeat, Kane believes England are making progress on the international stage. He pointed to another semi-final appearance as evidence that the team is moving in the right direction but stressed they must find a way to take the final step.
“We had a lot of good moments in this tournament. A lot of good games, another semi-final. We talk about knocking on the door. We’re close, we just need to find that missing piece in the final stage of the tournament,” he added.
England broke the deadlock in the 55th minute through Anthony Gordon and looked on course for victory. However, Argentina responded with relentless pressure and found an equaliser in the 85th minute through Enzo Fernandez.
Deep into stoppage time, Lionel Messi produced a decisive assist for Lautaro Martinez, who scored the winner to complete Argentina’s dramatic comeback.
The result sends Argentina into the World Cup final against Spain on July 19, while England will now face France in the third-place playoff.
