‘It could’ve been 4-1’: Thomas Tuchel slammed after England’s World Cup heartbreak | Football News

3 min readJul 16, 2026 07:00 AM Former England striker Michael Owen slammed Thomas Tuchel for his tactics after the side’s 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the semi-final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. England went 1-0 up early in the second half but two late goals from Argentina, who were relentless in attack after conceding, helped la Albiceleste seal a spot at the World Cup final for the second consecutive time.
“Watch Spain at 1-0 last night. That’s courage. That’s bravery. And then watch England at 1-0,” said Owen in his post on X just minutes after the full-time whle was blown in Atlanta.

Watch Spain at 1-0 last night. That’s courage. That’s bravery. And then watch England at 1-0. What’s the difference?We are a better team than Argentina, I’ve no doubt in my mind. But we deserved to get beat in the end. In fact, it could have been 4-1.Bringing on 3 defenders at…
— Michael Owen (@themichaelowen) July 15, 2026
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“What’s the difference? We are a better team than Argentina, I’ve no doubt in my mind. But we deserved to get beat in the end. In fact, it could have been 4-1. Bringing on 3 defenders at 1-0 up. What message does that send? I wrote it in my Daily Mail column after the Mexico game. Until we understand that courage and bravery is controlling possession under pressure and not booting / heading it up the field 40 yards then this will always be the end result.”
Owen was referring to how Spain played in their 2-0 victory over France in the first semifinal. Despite France’s riches in attack, Spain smothered them and were dominant for much of the game. England, on the other hand, dropped off after Anthony Gordon put them ahead in the 55th minute. They had just over 12 percent possession in the time between Gordon’s goal and Enzo Fernandez’s equaliser in the 85th minute.
Lautaro Martinez, who came on as a late change for defender Nicolás Tagliafico, scored what turned out to be the winner in the second minute of added time. Argentina suddenly went from being 1-0 down to 2-1 up and that is how the scoreline remained, much to England’s agony.
While Argentina made attacking substitutions, England went the other way. Tuchel brought on defender Ezri Konsa for Gordon in the 72nd minute and then more defensive reinforcements came in the 82nd minute. Forwards Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney were brought on after England conceded the second goal, which time it was too late.
Argentina will now face Spain in the final on Sunday. They are looking to become just the third team, and the first since 1962, to have succesfully defended their World Cup title. Italy were the first to do so, having won in 1934 and 1938. Pele’s Brazil then became the second, and thus far the last, team to have won two consecutive World Cups, winning the covetted title in 1958 and 1962. England, meanwhile, face France, whom Argentina had defeated in the 2022 final, in the third-place playoff on Saturday.