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England legends rue missed chances after World Cup semi-final exit: 'Better team won'
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท Croatia /Sports

England legends rue missed chances after World Cup semi-final exit: 'Better team won'

From Veฤernji List · () Croatian

Translated from Croatian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • England suffered a painful World Cup exit after losing a semi-final lead to Argentina.
  • Legendary players Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney acknowledged Argentina's deserved victory following a late comeback.
  • The loss marks another major disappointment for England on the world stage.

England's hopes of reaching the World Cup final were dashed after a dramatic late collapse against Argentina. The Three Lions led from the 55th minute through Anthony Gordon's goal but conceded twice in the final minutes. Enzo Fernandez equalized in the 85th minute, and Lautaro Martinez scored the winner in stoppage time to send Argentina to the final against Spain.

I think the better team won. That has to be said openly. Their reaction after conceding was fantastic. They hit the woodwork a few times, England were lucky. They didn't panic, they stuck to their game plan, believed in what they were doing and eventually they managed to do it.

โ€” Alan ShearerAnalyzing England's semi-final loss to Argentina for the BBC.

Former England stars Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney expressed their disappointment but acknowledged Argentina's superiority. Shearer told the BBC that the better team won, praising Argentina's resilience and tactical adjustments. "Their reaction after conceding was fantastic," Shearer said. "They hit the woodwork a few times, England were lucky. They didn't panic, they stuck to their game plan, believed in what they were doing and eventually they managed to do it."

Rooney lamented England's inability to hold onto their lead. "We got ourselves into a great position and then didn't know what to do with it," he stated. "We sat back, allowed Argentina to get on top and create chances. We eventually cracked. I'm very disappointed." He added that the substitutions made by England did not help, and that sometimes luck is needed to win tournaments.

We got ourselves into a great position and then didn't know what to do with it. We sat back, allowed Argentina to get on top and create chances. We eventually cracked. I'm very disappointed.

โ€” Wayne RooneyCommenting on England's inability to maintain their lead against Argentina.

This latest semi-final exit adds to England's recent history of near misses in major tournaments. Following losses in the Euro 2021 and 2024 finals, and a quarter-final exit at the 2022 World Cup, this defeat represents another significant disappointment for the national team.

The changes we made didn't help us. This is a big disappointment. Sometimes you need a bit of luck to win these tournaments.

โ€” Wayne RooneyReflecting on England's performance and the need for luck in tournaments.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Veฤernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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