England tried to hold on but it wasn't enough, says Kane

England captain Harry Kane described himself as "gutted" following his team's World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina. England conceded two late goals, losing after having taken the lead. Kane admitted that after going ahead, the team attempted to hold onto their advantage but ultimately could not withstand Argentina's relentless pressure.

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We played a good game for the large majority of it. Once we went 1-0 up, we seemed to just try and hold on.

"At this level, it's not enough, so just gutted, gutted because we've worked so hard to be here and the lads have given every last bit of running, sweat, blood, tears, whatever it is," Kane told the BBC. He explained that after scoring, England faced "wave after wave" of attacks, struggling to match Argentina's intensity man-for-man.

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At this level, it's not enough, so just gutted, gutted because we've worked so hard to be here and the lads have given every last bit of running, sweat, blood, tears, whatever it is.

England, who have not reached a World Cup final since their victory in 1966, came close to breaking that streak. Kane acknowledged the team's strong performance throughout the tournament but conceded they were unable to find the "missing piece" in the crucial final stages. He expressed his disappointment for the players, staff, and fans.

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After the goal, whether it was them putting more men forward or us just not being able to match them man for man, it just was wave after wave and we were trying to hold on as we were putting blocks in.

Kane also reflected on the team's mindset after conceding. "When we went ahead, the messaging was to go again and get another goal," he said. However, after Argentina equalized and then scored the winner in added time, the focus shifted to trying to regain momentum, which proved impossible.

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We're close, we just need to find that missing piece in the final stage of the tournament.