FIFA World Cup –
Semi-finals
England 1, Argentina 2 (Full time)
A. Gordon (55′)
Argentina
E. Fernández (85′)
Lautaro Martínez (90’+2)
Thomas Tuchel either didn’t listen to anyone or failed to manage his players effectively. Before the match, we had written that Argentina wasn’t a cohesive team but rather relied entirely on Messi. Had Messi been kept under control, we could have won the match—much like the game where we took a 1-0 lead. England performed poorly, especially in the second half, while Argentina launched attacks from both flanks. They were particularly dangerous with crosses, and English fans began to fear a goal with every attack. As in every match, Messi was left unmarked; he didn’t even move from his spot until the ball came to him. The players were eager to pass to him, and he would then deliver the ball into the penalty area. A goal (or goals) seemed inevitable, yet Thomas Tuchel failed to recognize this, allowing Argentine players to win every aerial duel on crosses. There wasn’t even a specific marking strategy for Messi; he was left free. He made the most of every touch and played a key role in setting up the second goal.
Argentina adopted a style of play that relied on constant fouling. This rattled our players and threw them off balance. Ultimately, it became clear during the second half that we would lose, and the scenario we had predicted played out exactly: the English players were a team, whereas Argentina was all about Messi.