Bellingham apologises after England collapse vs Argentina

England 1–2 Argentina, World Cup over

It ended the way it always does. England led through the semi-final against Argentina on Wednesday, then conceded twice late and fell apart. Jude Bellingham scored the opener, Anthony Gordon set it up, and for 78 minutes your team had one foot in the final (4) (9). Then Enzo Fernandez equalised, the stadium swung, and Argentina grabbed a second before full-time. England 1–2 Argentina. Gone.

Bellingham: 'I'm sorry'

Jude Bellingham faced the cameras and did not hide. "It's a very sad day for us. We played well, we fought a lot, but it couldn't be. It's so gutting," he said (1) (9). "I wanted to be a part of the England squad that finally done it, finally got it over the line. To be here telling the fans the same things they've probably heard for years and years, it's really gutting. I wish I could say more, give one or two more wins, but my head's a bit fuzzy with disappointment. I'm sorry."

Tuchel: English DNA is the problem

Thomas Tuchel pointed at something deeper than tactics. "It's maybe not in our DNA," he said, describing a team that could not hold possession under pressure (4) (7). "We got too passive within our structure. We couldn't find any duels, which was why we dropped deeper and deeper, which was never the plan, but it happened." He defended his substitutions, which shifted England to a back five late on, and confirmed he will not resign (6) (12).

The squad questions will not go away

Phil Foden and Cole Palmer watched from home. Jacob Steinberg argued Tuchel left himself no other option with a physical, direct squad and simply ran out of creative solutions when the game turned (5). Morgan Gibbs-White, Adam Wharton, Trent Alexander-Arnold, none of them made the difference. Barney Ronay went further in The Guardian, writing that the blame goes beyond Tuchel to English football culture itself (8).

Pickford's family hits back

Jordan Pickford's wife posted an emotional update after the keeper faced accusations following the Argentina defeat (11). No details of the criticism were specified, but the tone of the post made clear the family felt it.

France on Saturday for third place

A bronze medal nobody wants. England face France in Miami on Saturday in the third-place match (2). Tuchel has to lift a shattered dressing room for one more game.