England missing final piece of jigsaw - Kane

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Kane has scored six goals and registered one assist during the 2026 World Cup

ByMandeep SangheraBBC Sport journalist

Published14 minutes ago

England captain Harry Kane says the team are "missing that final piece of the jigsaw" and need to "find a way to get better" following their defeat to Argentina in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup.

The Three Lions took the lead in Atlanta but were beaten 2-1, with the side and manager Thomas Tuchel being criticised for becoming too defensive after going in front.

"No words are big enough right now to overcome this empty feeling in the stomach," wrote Kane,, external as several England players took to social media to give their thoughts on the tournament.

"We were close, really close to another final but it wasn't enough. We've given everything over these last seven weeks and to fall short is hard to take!

"I know the expectations are high and rightly so, we've been knocking on the door for eight years now but again are missing that final piece of the jigsaw! That's where we have to go away, process it and find a way to get better."

Anthony Gordon put England in front after 55 minutes against Argentina but the Three Lions then sat back as they invited pressure from their rivals, who scored two late goals through Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez to win 2-1.

In the aftermath, former England captain Wayne Rooney said Tuchel's side "crumbled" and became "too passive" as they missed out on a first World Cup final since they won the competition in 1966.

Tuchel has also been criticised for his defensive substitutions, with England having only 12% of possession from going ahead to conceding the second goal after 92 minutes.

A number of sources have indicated to BBC Sport that a clutch of key players were left disappointed by how the team approached the final stages of the game.

However, Tuchel has said that it was never the plan to drop deeper and that "it's maybe not in our DNA…to control the game and ball".

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It is not the first time England have been accused of becoming too defensive in key games.

It was a similar situation under former manager Gareth Southgate when they went 1-0 in front against Italy in the Euro 2021 final before conceding an equaliser and losing on penalties.

Under Southgate, England also lost a World Cup semi-final to Croatia in 2018 and were beaten by Spain in the Euro 2024 final.

Opta stats show that, since 1998, England have been eliminated every time they have faced a top-10 ranked nation in the knockout stages of the World Cup.

"Going for glory doesn't always mean you will get it," added Bayern Munich forward Kane, who has scored six goals during the tournament.

"You have to fight for it, get knocked down, pick yourself up and go again and that's what we will do, there's no other way but to keep believing and keeping pushing."

England started their World Cup campaign with a 4-2 win against Croatia after the game was tied at 2-2 at the break.

Following the game, Kane said the team's improved second-half performance came after Tuchel had told them "if we lose, we lose in our way" in his half-time team talk.

England drew 0-0 with Ghana and beat Panama 2-0 to finish top of their group before coming from a goal down to beat DR Congo 2-1 in the last 32.

They went down to 10 men against Mexico but earned a hard-fought 3-2 win against the co-hosts before beating Norway 2-1 after extra-time prior to the game against Argentina.

The Three Lions now face a third-place play-off match against France, who were beaten by Spain in the other semi-final, on Saturday (22:00 BST).

England attacking midfielder Jude Bellingham, like Kane, scored six goals as he starred during the tournament.

He said he "was really struggling to find the right words" following England's exit but shared a four-page poem titled 'The Lions Way', written by the team's driver Michael Chandler, which "pretty much hits the nail on the head".

The poem finished with the line " a soul made strong, a soul assured" as Bellingham also called for "unity", external following England's defeat.

"Don't let the unity and love we've seen in our country end with this campaign. When we're together we can achieve big things," the Real Madrid player said.

Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers set up Gordon for England's opener against Argentina and said he was "devastated" following the defeat.

"We gave so much to reach this far and for it to end the way it did hurts," he said., external

"We shared memories that will last for a lifetime and I lived a childhood dream to represent my country at a World Cup. We will be back, mark my words."

Gordon, who has moved from Newcastle United to Barcelona, added: "I genuinely thought this was our time to win after waiting so many years but it wasn't to be and it's going to hurt for a while.

"I've never wanted to win so badly, not just for the trophy but for everything we built as a group and what it would have meant for England."

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Meanwhile, the chief executive of the Football Association has backed England to use the "learnings" from their defeat to Argentina and "challenge for silverware" when they co-host the European Championships in 2028.

Mark Bullingham said he also expected manager Tuchel to "raise everyone" after the Three Lions' World Cup exit in Atlanta.

England are one of four host nations for the next Euros, alongside Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, and will hope to go one better after reaching the final of the tournament in both 2021 and 2024.

"Thomas and the coaches will raise everyone for that and then lead us into qualification for our home Euros in 2028," said Bullingham.

"Another fantastic opportunity for our men's team to challenge for silverware, with learnings from this tournament and even more support from our brilliant fans to look forward to. Onwards."