Wayne Rooney said England did not know what to do after taking the lead against Argentina, in Wednesday’s FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal.
England had taken the lead in the 55th minute through Anthony Gordon, who slotted home a cross from Morgan Rodgers.
But Thomas Tuchel side struggled to regain control as Argentina, led by inspirational captain Lionel Messi, scored two late goals to clinch a 2-1 win.
Reacting to the defeat, Rooney believes England’s inability to manage the game after going in front ultimately proved costly.
“We got ourselves in such a good position, and then we didn’t know what to do,” he said.
“We sat back, we allowed them to come onto us. They were creating a number of chances, then we cracked. Really disappointed.”
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The defeat ends England’s hopes of reaching a first World Cup final since 1966 and leaves Tuchel’s side to reflect on a campaign that had promised much after victories over Mexico and Norway in the knockout stages.
Argentina, meanwhile, remain on course to retain the trophy they won four years ago in Qatar and will contest Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain.
The Spanish team edged out France 2-0 in Tuesday’s semifinal thanks to goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro.
