Thomas Tuchel defended his substitutions and said he “tried to help” the England players after the Three Lions squandered a second-half lead to lose 2-1 to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final in Atlanta.
Following Anthony Gordon’s close-range shot in the 55th minute, Tuchel’s substitutions ensured the Three Lions had six defenders on the pitch when Enzo Fernandes scored from long range five minutes from time and Lautaro Martinez scored the winner in the 92nd minute.
Tuchel said: “The responsibility lies with the coach BBC Sport After his first competitive defeat as an international manager.
“If things don’t go well, it’s easy to say it was wrong. You can discuss this with a million coaches. I have to make a decision on the pitch. That’s how I analyze the match and make the decision.”
World Cup 2026: How England was ‘open’ to Argentina
Lionel Messi assisted both goals as Argentina qualified for the final against Spain in New Jersey on Sunday (20:00 GMT).
Tuchel said with a sigh: “We were very close, but we became very passive after we scored a goal, and we received many opportunities and were unable to convert possession of the ball.”
“We couldn’t maintain the high level after we scored. I also made (attacking) substitutions in (previous) matches. We just tried to help the players.
“We decided to go with five players in the back line because the gaps were so open. (Argentina) won every header; they kept crossing and passing. We couldn’t get out.
“We couldn’t win any balls, we couldn’t keep the ball. It wasn’t a structural problem. We didn’t change anything after the goal, but the game completely changed.
“I can understand that these discussions exist, and of course (there are) millions of coaches after the game who know better.”
England vs Argentina: Tuchel praises “the best match”
Tuchel took charge at the beginning of 2025 and was aspiring to win the league title World Cup. “At the moment, I have no regrets,” the 2020/21 Champions League winner as Chelsea coach said.
“The team gave everything they could and we were very close. We deserved to go 1-0 up and played one of our best games – perhaps our best game, under the circumstances.”
“The match was difficult and we could not cross the goal line.”
The German coach said he “didn’t have an answer” when asked if the fans saw England play the way he wanted, adding that he “didn’t really know what that meant.”
“We saw the prevailing mentality throughout the match and the group,” he said, describing group stage opponents Croatia, Ghana and Panama as “strong.”
“We played (while traveling) a long distance. We played at high altitudes, with 10 men (both against Mexico in the round of 16), in the heat.
“We overcame all the obstacles. Now is not the moment to analyze the entire tournament. We just went out because we lost a decisive match.”
World Cup 2026: England fixtures and schedule
England will meet France in the third-place match in Miami on Saturday. Here the match begins in different regions.
| date | Start time is GMT | at | Pt |
| Saturday 18 July | 22:00 | 17:00 | 14:00 |
In the United Kingdom, live television coverage is on BBC One. Streaming is available on a wide range of devices through the BBC iPlayer app and the BBC Sport website.
