ENGLAND’S WORLD CUP HOPES DASHED

A dejected England team and their hordes of supporters here in Cayman, at the venue in Atlanta, at home in the United Kingdom, and around the world have again been left pondering ‘what might have been’ in a World Football Cup tournament.

Wednesday’s loss to arch-rivals Argentina by a 2 -1 margin after England had scored the first goal has only made the defeat much more difficult to bear.

Rubbing salt into the wound was the controversial display by members of the Argentine team of a banner declaring that the Falkland Islands belong to Argentina. That politicisation of their football World Cup semi-final victory and England’s loss harks back to the Falklands War of 1982, when Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas territory in the South Atlantic off the Argentinian coast.

After a massive build-up of home support, expectations were running high for an England versus Spain World Cup 2026 final after the Spanish team knocked powerhouse France out of the tournament in the other semi-final.

But it was not to be, and England’s hopes of reaching their first men’s World Cup final since winning the tournament 60 years ago in 1966 were again left in tatters.

A hope-inspiring 55th-minute goal by Anthony Gordon was erased when Argentina bounced back with a stunning equaliser to make it 1-1 with the clock running down and five minutes left in the game. A Messi-directed cross shortly after, with time running out, was picked up by Lautaro Martinez, who headed the emphatic winner.

England will now play France for third-place honours in the 20226 World Cup.

The post-semifinal analysis has already started in full force, with the England manager, German Thomas Tuchel’s strategy being called into question, along with numerous pontifications on what worked and what went wrong in the crucial encounter.