Thomas Tuchel's full reaction after England fall to Argentina in FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final
Tuchel reveals why he made changes in the last minutes of the game.
Thomas Tuchel spoke to the media after England’s heartbreaking FIFA World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina.
Argentina stunned England with a late comeback in a 2-1 semifinal victory in Atlanta to preserve their hope of winning the World Cup twice in a row.
After Anthony Gordon put them in the lead early in the second half, England, trying to make it to their first final since 1966, were certain to break their 60-year drought.
Argentina rushed forward to try to get back into the game, but England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made some excellent stops, and an unfortunate finish kept the world champions looking for a way to tie the score.
However, Enzo Fernández’s 20-yard goal in minute 85 pulled Argentina back into the match, and three minutes into stoppage time, Lautaro Martínez’s header from Lionel Messi’s cross won it.
Thomas Tuchel explains his changes & what he he feels after defeat
Following the game, Thomas Tuchel explained why he made changes in the last few minutes of the game that resulted in Argentina’s goals.
“It’s easy to say my decisions are wrong AFTER things don’t go well. Now there are a MILLION coaches after the game who know what to do better.”
“At the moment, no regrets. The team gave everything, and we were VERY, VERY close. I think we deserved to be up 1-0. We played one of our better matches, maybe the best match in the circumstances. The team was top; we couldn’t bring it over the line. At the moment, no regrets.”
“After taking a 1-0 lead, we were too passive.”
“We decided to go to a back five because the gaps were just too open… Of course, the responsibility is on the coach. If it doesn’t go well, it is easy to say it is wrong.”
Thomas Tuchel about going to a back 5:
“It was not a problem of structure. The match just changed completely. But I can understand the discussion. There are millions of coaches who know it better……..”
“I can go and discuss this with the one million coaches, but I have to make the decisions.”
Thomas Tuchel: “We had a STRONG group. We faced STRONG teams. We had a lot of traveling to do, we played in altitude, we played with 10 men, we had to play in heat. We overcame EVERY obstacle and today we AGAIN game very close!”
What did Thomas Tuchel say after the game?
Thomas Tuchel revealed he had no regrets despite his decision in the games going wrong.
What changes did Thomas Tuchel make?
He decided to go to a back five after a 1-0 lead over Argentina.
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After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.