England's World Cup run has come to an end as they were defeated 2-1 by Argentina in the semi-finals. The match was marked by a dominant performance from Lionel Messi, who scored the winner for Argentina. England's hopes of reaching the World Cup final for the first time in 60 years were dashed as they blew a 1-0 lead to lose the match. The defeat marks the third time England have lost to Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals in the past 60 years.
The triptych of dark paintings is complete. Bleak and desolate images stare out from each one.
First, there is Peter Shilton in the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City at the 1986 World Cup, jumping to punch a looping ball that is flicked away from him by Diego Maradona's Hand of God. Then, from the 1998 World Cup, there is David Beckham staring up at referee Kim Milton Nielsen after he has been worked over by Diego Simeone and has flicked out his foot at his opponent. There is dread and horror on Beckham's face.
He knows a red card is coming. He knows it will change everything. And now, the last of the panels, drawn under the dome of the Atlanta Stadium on the 15th day of July, stands next to them. It features the face of Argentina's cartoon villain, Enzo Fernandez, grinning up at the stands after breaking England hearts yet again.
There is a place for the clock on the giant screen, which showed that England were just five minutes away from their first World Cup final for 60 years when Fernandez scored the equaliser that denied them. There is a place for Lautaro Martinez, whose late, late header won the game for England's bitter enemy. There is a place for Lionel Messi, the greatest of all time.
In his first game against England, it was he who provided the winner for Martinez. His record against England will forever read Played 1, Won 1. And so it is Argentina who will march on New York on Sunday to meet Spain and try to win their second successive World Cup.
England's World Cup run ended in heartbreak as they blew a 1-0 semi-final lead to Argentina Lautaro Martinez came off the bench to score a back-post header which won the game 2-1 Lionel Messi was magnificent in what was his first ever appearance up against England For England, this is a time of shattered dreams. England always finds a way to lose these matches and now they have done it again. They are always the punchlines for someone else's jokes.
Three defeats to Argentina and, to travel alongside them, three appearances in World Cup semi-finals in 60 years and now three defeats. Paul Gacoigne's face reddened with crying after defeat to West Germany in Turin in 1990 and the devastation of Marcus Rashford after England lost to Croatia in their last four tie in Moscow in 2018. England dwell on Desolation Row. This is a city that will be forever associated with a man who had a dream.
England were hoping that they would march on New York after this match but their dream died here. The hope England harboured that Thomas Tuchel would be the coach who could finally drag them over the line in a major tournament was forlorn and misguided. England were regarded as favourites but, when it came to the moment of truth, Tuchel came up short. He was not the man to drag England over the line after all.
The truth is he saw the line and he shrank from it. A master tactician? Not on this evidence. When England scored, England simply sat back and ceded their opponents the momentum.
Opponents who have Messi playing at number 10. That's not a master tactician. That is either madness or rank stupidity. He took England to the last four here, which is a creditable performance but Gareth Southgate took England to the last four in 2018 and the fans were throwing bottles at him by 2024, when he led England to the European Championship final.
Tuchel was supposed to take England to the next level. It was beyond him. It is always the same when England lose like this. It is as if a spell has been broken.
The 3-2 victory over Mexico in the Azteca in the Round of 16, achieved with 10 men, at altitude, in front of a hostile crowd, in a magnificent stadium, against all odds, was the greatest football occasion I've ever been to. I will never forget England's heroics that night but they were in vain.
The 2-1 comeback victory in the quarter-finals against Norway in the stifling heat of Miami was graced by one of the finest individual performances I have ever seen from an England player. Jude Bellingham scored both England goals and dragged them through to the semi-finals by the scruff of their necks. That, too, was in vain. The atmosphere reached fever-pitch before kick-off.
The Argentina fans swarmed over the stadium and filled up part of the end that seemed to be nominally reserved for England supporters. They leapt up and down relentlessly.
'And now you see, and now you see,' they yelled in Spanish, 'whoever doesn't jump is English. ' They sang their song about the Falkland Islands, too, and the war of 1982 between the two countries. 'For the Malvinas, for Diego, for Leo's last one,' they chanted. England fans go further back for their history.
They sang about '10 German bombers'. A few dressed as crusaders, chain mail and all
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