England lost 2-1 to Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals as their wait for a second trophy continues.
Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez struck in the 85th and 92nd minutes, respectively, to overturn the deficit from Anthony Gordon’s earlier opener.
Thanks for the submission!
The first half of the clash was feisty, with England and Argentina stars jumping into tackles and getting into heated confrontations, but chances were minimal at both ends.
It opened up spectacularly after the break though, with Gordon putting England in front after 55 minutes by latching onto a cross from Morgan Rogers as the Argentina defense was caught napping.
But the defending champions soon grew into the game, dominating possession and looking more dangerous going forward as Jordan Pickford was called into action a few times. Djed Spence also made a stunning clearance on Giuliano Simeone as England were rattled, but held on to their lead.
However, Argentina’s persistence paid off late on when Fernandez unleashed a stunning strike from range that gave Pickford no chance, while Martinez leapt the highest to connect with a fabulous cross from Lionel Messi and head home the winner in the second added minute.
Here are the player ratings for England:
England Player Ratings
Jordan Pickford – 6.5/10
The England custodian wasn’t challenged much in the opening half but made two vital saves after the break to emerge as their savior. But he was soundly beaten by Fernandez and then by Martinez.
Reece James – 7/10
Back into the starting line-up, James turned in a decent shift at the back. He was positionally aware and made sure Argentina didn’t get much from his side of the field in the first half.
John Stones – 7/10
It was all playing out well for Stones, who made a series of vital clearances at the back to safeguard the England goal but was beaten in the air to Argentina’s winning goal by Martinez.
Marc Guehi – 6.5/10
He perfectly complemented Stones in defense and was solid for most of the game.
Djed Spence – 8/10
Perhaps the best performance by a defender at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Spence had his name written all over it. He never shied away from a tackle, fought hard for possession, and made a superb clearance to deny Giuliano Simeone inside the box.
Declan Rice – 7/10
Rice covered every blade of grass with his exemplary work ethic, fighting tooth and nail for possession while making some vital clearances too. England completely lost control of the match after he was subbed off.
Elliot Anderson – 6/10
The Manchester City man was heavily involved in the midfield mayhem during the first half and went into the books after the break for a rough challenge on Messi.
Morgan Rogers – 7.5/10
He laid a spectacular cross from the right which Gordon converted to give England the lead, as Rogers was a constant menace for Argentina all night.
Jude Bellingham – 6/10
England’s hero in the last two knockout games, Bellingham failed to impact the proceedings tonight. He failed to muster a single attempt at goal too.
Anthony Gordon – 8/10
Gordon was struggling to get himself into the game upfront but made the most of the first and only real chance he got, burying it past Martinez to put the Three Lions ahead.
Harry Kane – 6.5/10
He may not have found the back of the net, but Kane’s defensive work was exemplary. The Bayern Munich ace tracked back to help out defensively and marked his opposite number, Lionel Messi, closely to negate his influence.
Substitutes
Ezri Konsa – 6/10
Konsa came on for Gordon as the Three Lions attempted to protect their lead.
Nico O’Reilly – 6/10
He was subbed in as part of a double substitution in the 82nd minute but couldn’t make much impact.
Dan Burn – 5/10
Burn replaced Rice with less than 10 minutes left on the clock and lost possession every time he touched the ball.
Marcus Rashford – N/A
The Manchester United star came on in the 90th minute as England made a desperate attempt to fire up their attack.
Ivan Toney – N/A
Toney was subbed in alongside Rashford late on but failed to make any impact, with Argentina totally dominant.
Edited by Vignesh Raja