England’s World Cup dreams ended in a heart-breaking semi-final defeat to Argentina as Lionel Messi inspired a chaotic late 2-1 turnaround.
A game that looked like it would go down in English sporting folklore instead ended in all too familiar despair as the dream of football coming home for the first time since 1966 ended in Atlanta .
Anthony Gordon’s strike had England on the cusp of a first men’s World Cup final since Sir Alf Ramsey’s heroes lifted the trophy, but reigning champions Argentina never quit.
Here we take a look at how the players rated:
Jordan Pickford
Jordan Pickford - 7 (out of 10)
Made some important saves but could not keep out a swathe of Argentina attacks.
Reece James
Reece James - 6
Returned to the starting line-up and produced an assured display until fatigue caught up with him.
John Stones
John Stones - 7
Battled bravely but wilted under a sea of attacks as Thomas Tuchel’s tactics invited pressure on.
Marc Guehi
Marc Guehi - 7
Defended well but had too much to do as Tuchel got it wrong.
Djed Spence
Djed Spence - 8
A surprise inclusion at left-back but excelled.
Elliot Anderson
Elliot Anderson - 6
Was up for the battle in a heated midfield where tackles were flying in.
Declan Rice
Declan Rice - 5
Still not fully fit, he was on the periphery but battled hard.
Morgan Rogers
Morgan Rogers - 6
Set up the goal but lost his edge when forced to defend.
Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham - 5
Endured a much quieter game as he was targeted by feisty Argentinians .
Anthony Gordon
Anthony Gordon - 6
Gave England the lead with a clever finish, but was sacrificed for a change of system.
Harry Kane
Harry Kane - 5
Did not impact the game and then spent most of the second half behind the ball.
Substitutes
Substitutes
Ezri Konsa (on for Gordon, 73): Lacked the quality in attack when England were chasing the game - 5
Dan Burn (on for James, 82): Did not affect either penalty area - 4
Nico O’Reilly (on for Rice, 82): Could not stop the cross which led to the winner - 3
Ivan Toney (on for Stones, 90): N/A
Marcus Rashford (on for Spence, 90): N/A
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