Atlanta, 16 July (H.S.): England captain Harry Kane said it was too early to determine whether the FIFA World Cup 2026 was his final appearance at the tournament, following his side's heartbreaking 2-1 semifinal defeat to Argentina. Kane admitted that England had once again fallen short in a manner similar to previous major tournaments.

England took the lead in the 55th minute through Anthony Gordon, but gradually adopted a defensive approach. Argentina capitalised on the shift in momentum, with Enzo Fernández equalising in the 85th minute before Lautaro Martínez headed home Lionel Messi's cross deep into injury time to complete a dramatic comeback.

Reflecting on the defeat, Kane said, It feels like the same story we've experienced in previous major tournaments. For about 60 minutes, we controlled the game brilliantly. We scored, took the lead and looked comfortable.

He added, But then, for one reason or another, we lost control of possession. We were unable to put pressure on the ball, which allowed Argentina to attack continuously and increase the pressure inside our penalty area.

Kane acknowledged that England's mindset changed after taking the lead.

It is natural to think about protecting a one-goal advantage, but there were still around 20 minutes left to play. That's more than enough time for the opposition to score. We need to analyse the match footage and understand what we could have done better in those situations. That has been our biggest weakness over the last four major tournaments, he said.

By the time the next FIFA World Cup is held, Kane will be 36 years old. However, he declined to speculate about his international future.

I think it's far too early to discuss that. I take my career one year at a time. Representing England is one of the greatest honours of my life, and nothing means more to me than playing for the national team, Kane said.

He continued, The next World Cup is still four years away. I'll turn 33 this summer, but look at Lionel Messi—he is still performing at the highest level. I don't want to put any limits on my career. When the time comes, I'll make the decision based on where I am. Right now, my only focus is recovering from this defeat.

Dan Burn Admits England Became Too Defensive

England defender Dan Burn also conceded that the team became overly defensive after taking the lead.

We're extremely disappointed. For most of the match, we executed our game plan well, but after scoring we became too passive and dropped too deep. In the end, we paid the price for it, Burn said.

He added, We allowed Argentina far too many opportunities, and if you give a team of that quality repeated chances, they are bound to score. It's incredibly disappointing because we have defended much better in situations like this before. Losing when you are so close to reaching a World Cup final is especially painful.

England will now face France in the third-place playoff on Saturday, while Argentina will take on Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final on Sunday.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar