Read 3 minutes16 July 2026 07:00 AM IST
Former England striker Michael Owen has slammed Thomas Tuchel for his tactics following their 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals. England took a 1-0 lead early in the second half but two late goals from Argentina, who were attacking relentlessly after conceding, saw La Albiceleste reach their second consecutive World Cup final.
“Look at Spain 1-0 last night. That’s guts. That’s bravery. And then look at England 1-0,” Owen said in his post on X minutes after the full-time whistle in Atlanta.
Look at Spain 1-0 last night. That’s brave. That is bravery. And then watch England 1-0 up. What is the difference?
We are a better team than Argentina, no doubt in my mind. But we deserved to lose in the end. Actually it could have been 4-1.
Bringing in 3 defenders here…— Michael Owen (@themichaelowen) 15 July 2026
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“What’s the difference? We’re a better team than Argentina, there’s no doubt in my mind. But in the end we deserved to lose. In fact, it could have been 4-1. Bringing on 3 defenders at 1-0. What message does that send? I wrote this in my Daily Mail column after the Mexico game. We’re not in control until we understand that and control the pressure. Booting/heading up the field 40 yards, then that’s always going to be the end result.”
Owen was talking about how Spain played in their 2-0 win over France in the first semi-final. Despite France’s wealth in attack, Spain crushed them and dominated most of the game. On the other hand, England pulled away after Anthony Gordon scored in the 55th minute. Between Gordon’s 85th minute goal and Enzo Fernandez’s equaliser, they had more than 12 percent possession.
Lautaro Martínez, who came on as a late substitute for defender Nicolas Tagliafico, scored the winner in the second minute of added time. Argentina suddenly went from 1-0 to 2-1 and that’s how the scoreline stayed, much to England’s chagrin.
Argentina switched forwards, while England went the other way. Tuchel brought on defender Ezri Konsa for Gordon in the 72nd minute and then added defensive reinforcements in the 82nd minute. By the time England conceded a second goal, forwards Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney were brought on, but it was too late.
Now Argentina will face Spain in the final on Sunday. They are looking to become only the third team, and the first since 1962, to successfully retain their World Cup title. Italy was the first to do so, winning in 1934 and 1938. Pelé’s Brazil became the second and so far the last team to win back-to-back World Cups in 1958 and 1962. Meanwhile, England face France, who were beaten 2-2 by Argentina in Saturday’s 2-2 final.