ENGLAND were on the cusp of reaching their first men’s World Cup final since 1966.
They were 1-0 up against reigning world champions Argentina when the clock inside Atlanta Stadium ticked to 84 minutes – and then it all went horribly wrong.
Enzo Fernandez equalised with a thumping strike in the 85th minute before Lautaro Martinez headed a 92nd-minute winner – both goals coming from assists by Lionel Messi.
Just like that, England’s World Cup dreams lay in ruins.
They had worked so hard to take the lead through Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute – and then sat back and paid the price.
The decision by England boss Thomas Tuchel to go defensive backfired spectacularly.
Instead it is Argentina who go through to Sunday’s showpiece against Spain at New York New Jersey Stadium (20:00 BST kick-off).
But should England have gone for the kill when they went 1-0 up?
They did not – and had just 12% of possession from going ahead to conceding the second goal.
Tuchel only sent on forwards Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney deep into stoppage time, while defenders Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly were introduced after the Three Lions took the lead.
“We have crumbled,” former England captain Wayne Rooney told BBC Sport.
“It started from the manager and the decisions he made. It was too passive.
“Against this team, the world champions, you will not get away with it. This has been the biggest test and we have failed it.”
So why did England sit back when in control against Argentina? And are Tuchel’s second-half tactics to blame for England’s failure to make the final?
England have showed character at this World Cup, coming from behind to defeat both DR Congo at the last-32 stage and Norway in the quarter-finals.
“The difference is hanging on against Norway or Mexico [in the last 16], they have not got the quality this Argentina team have got in terms of the ability on the ball and the ability they have to punish you,” former England captain Alan Shearer told BBC Sport.
“Tuchel played his cards very, very early and it has backfired.”
England looked to have taken full control of the semi-final against their old foes when Gordon put them ahead 10 minutes into the second half.
England’s fans celebrated wildly – but then the Three Lions opted to sit back and defend.
“The fact that England got themselves in front and then basically handed Argentina the initiative… that was a coaching catastrophe from Thomas Tuchel,” Chris Sutton, a Premier League winner with Blackburn in 1994-95, told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“You can’t expect to defend for 30 minutes against the quality Argentina had.
“It’s all on the coach where I am 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?'”
England have come undone against Argentina in the past.
Who can forget Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal at the 1986 World Cup or the 1998 World Cup defeat that burns so deep.
England, however, have no-one but themselves to blame for Wednesday’s loss.
“Norway and Mexico panicked against England,” former England goalkeeper Joe Hart told BBC Sport.
“I didn’t see one bit of panic from that Argentina side. I saw belief, I saw the realising they could free up the great man Lionel Messi in the pocket, and they were running all over England.
“Gareth Southgate took a lot of criticism for the big moments with England, when they had the lead in big games and shut up shop. I don’t see that anything has changed in that big moment out there.”
So what were the changes that frustrated England fans so much?
Leading 1-0, many expected Tuchel to go for another goal – but instead the German made three defensive changes.
He brought Konsa on for Gordon in the 72nd minute – switching to a back five – before bringing on further defensive reinforcements 10 minutes later in Burn and O’Reilly.
Tuchel sent on forwards Rashford and Toney in added time, but it proved too little too late.
“I felt the changes we made at 1-0, that if Argentina scored we wouldn’t make extra time,” added Rooney.
Former England defender Micah Richards told BBC Sport: “When England scored that first goal they should have gone for the second.
“Yes, you respect their quality, but dropping deep allowed Argentina to get into their flow.”
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, said Tuchel went too deep too soon.
“I think he has got that wrong,” added Robinson, who won 41 caps for England between 2003 and 2007.
“He has got a lot of decisions right, but I think trying to defend a lead against this team was a wrong choice.”
Even Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez admitted there was a change in momentum after the opening goal as England sat back and looked to defend.
“Sometimes when you are winning, you have to go forward,” added Martinez.
“You can’t change the gameplan. I think they did it and they sent on extra defenders.”
Tuchel, of course, has improved on England’s showing at the 2022 World Cup, when they reached the quarter-finals before bowing out to France.
But this England team is sprinkled with exceptional individual talent like Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.
England captain Kane, who will be approaching his 36th birthday at the next World Cup, suggested his side could have done more.
“When we went 1-0 up we seemed to try and hold on, which at this level is not enough,” said the England captain.
“[I am] just gutted because we’ve worked so hard to be here and the lads have given every last bit of running, blood, sweat, tears.
“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.
“The lads were putting blocks in but, in the end, it just wasn’t enough.”
Asked in his post-match news conference if he made wrong decisions against Argentina, Tuchel defended himself and said: “No, I believe it’s just the nature of the game. As soon as you lose you get criticised, it’s just what it is.
“In the moment, no regrets. The team gave everything and we were very, very close.
“We played one of our better matches, maybe our best match in the circumstances.
“The team was top, we couldn’t get over the line.
“I think we saw the mentality throughout the match and the strong group. We played the matches how they were, we played against strong teams in the group, travelled a lot of miles, played at altitude, we played with 10 men, we played in the heat and we overcame every obstacle.
“We were very close today. It’s not the moment to analyse the full tournament.”
Despite reaching the semi-finals, Tuchel’s tactics and choices will be criticised for days to come after failing to make the final, despite taking the lead.
“I love Thomas Tuchel,” added former England defender Richards.
“I love how brave he is. Tonight, on the biggest stage, he got it wrong, and he has to accept that.”