England 1-2 Argentina

England missed out on their first World Cup final since 1966 after a stunning turnaround from rivals Argentina saw the hosts win 2-1 thanks to Lautaro Martinez’s stoppage-time winner.

The Three Lions took a 1-0 lead five minutes into regulation time in Atlanta on Anthony Gordon’s first goal of the second half.

But two goals in the space of seven minutes saw a stunning comeback from Argentina as Enzo Fernandez equalized with a stunning strike in the 85th minute from distance before substitute Martinez scored in the 92nd minute.

Argentina’s change came after England coach Thomas Tuchel made several defensive substitutions as England looked to hang on to their lead.

But following these changes, Argentina were firmly in control of the game and should have come back, with Lionel Messi playing a major role as he set up Martinez’s winner.

Lionel Scaloni’s men will face Spain in the final on Sunday in New Jersey, while England will face France in the third place qualifier on Saturday in Miami.

After back-to-back European Championship final defeats, it was another close affair, however, in England as Tuchel’s changes to the game saw England score 12 percent after Gordon’s opener until Martinez won.

Tuchel said about replacing him BBC Sport: “We decided to go to the back five because there were a lot of gaps and they were very open. We did it to close the gaps inside to be strong in the air.

“We were very close, but we were very quiet after scoring the goal.”

Merson: Tuchel did the same with Southgate

Paul Merson on Sky Sports News:

“I’m speechless Gareth [Southgate] he took a lot of the stick defensively – and I thought he did well – and Tuchel came in and did the same with Gareth.

“I understand it in the Mexican game [last-16 win] when we get to 10 men, and we will be under the cosh, but here we had to throw something different to them. We have to learn from it and look forward to the Euros.

“I understand that Gareth is a defensive coach; he was a full-back, so he will defend. But I didn’t think that about Tuchel and I thought he would throw something different at Argentina and put pressure on him.

“But it was just, ‘we’re going to defend here’, and when they scored we had a lot of defenders on the pitch.”

‘Tuchel is not good’

Rob Dorsett’s Sky Sports News in Atlanta:

“It’s very clear that Tuchel has made a mistake. The man who was hired by the FA for his brilliant tactics in the relegation games should hold his hands up.

“England scored a goal and had the upper hand, and Tuchel moved quickly and tried to hold on to what they had.

“Staying deep for more than half an hour in stoppage time changed all the momentum for Argentina. There were many warning signs before they got the equaliser, and even more before the win. Argentina could have scored more goals, scoring twice in the last quarter of the game.

“England can’t complain. The better side won. But there’s a bad feeling this was largely self-inflicted.”

Highlights from Atlanta…

3: FLASHPOINT! Fernandez grabs Anderson, leading to both sets of players pushing and shoving.

33: FIRST SHOT! Stones heads wide from Rice’s free-kick for the first attempt of the game.

TIME! Nineteen fouls, two yellow cards and no shots on target.

47: FIRST TARGET SHOT! Alvarez checks Pickford in his close quarters.

55: GOAL! England take the lead with Gordon’s goal after Rogers’ ball.

69: PICKFORD FINAL! Pickford got down to one-handedly push away Nico Gonzalez’s loose ball from Messi.

76: ARGENTINA HIT THE POST! Mac Allister heads De Paul’s fine cross on goal and Pickford heads into the area.

85: GOAL! Fernandez shoots from a wonderful spot after great pressure from Argentina.

90+2: GOAL! Argentina complete a change as Lautaro Martinez comes on.

Player Ratings…

Your view…

LV: “The other manager acted too fast, and we were punished for it. Same with the Croatia game, same with the Italy game.”

Tyler: “Well done, Thomas. You gave Argentina a game with your bad tactics. You allowed Messi and his teammates to play in England’s half. Really poor of a manager.”

James Wilson: “It’s really the way we are under Southgate, nothing has changed. Score first and stay and invite the pressure, it hasn’t worked in the last ten years. Why does Tuchel think it will work tonight?”

Holt: “Tuchel doesn’t understand that.”

Dancuzo: “Tuchel is the reason we’re out. Making rational decisions after going 1-0 up, a not so good game; I couldn’t believe a ‘top’ coach would have that mindset. He’s sad. I haven’t played well in any game in this World Cup. We beat our way to the semis.”

Craigyboy79: “Thomas Tuchel lost that game for England – playing with six defenders to try and see the game over with 30 minutes to go was the worst management I’ve ever seen. Terrible decisions.”

Jacob Sharratt: “Tuchel should be ashamed of himself. How can we be on the front foot for 70 minutes to sit at the back with six defenders!”

Neil B: “We were in control. They couldn’t resist our pressure. Then we scored a goal and stopped. This is for Tuchel.”

Dan Staples: “Without a doubt the worst decision made at 1-0 lead I’ve ever seen. Totally lost momentum, allowed them to beat our back line. Just bad tactics by Tuchel. Trust him so far.”