England went 1-0 up against Argentina before slumping to a heart-breaking semi-final defeat. But did boss Thomas Tuchel's "negative" tactics cost the Three Lions a place in the Wor…

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. 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). 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.