The last piece of the jigsaw that England is missing – Harry Kane

It is not the first time England have been called too defensive in key games.

It was a similar situation under former manager Gareth Southgate, who went 1-0 down against Italy in the Euro 2021 final, narrowly missing out on an equalizer and losing on penalties.

Under Southgate, England lost to Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and lost to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.

Opta statistics show that since 1998, England have been eliminated every time they have faced a 10th-10th-placed country in the World Cup play-offs.

“Going for glory doesn’t mean you always get it,” said Bayern Munich striker Kane, who scored 6 goals in the tournament.

“You have to fight for it, you have to fall, pick yourself up and go again and that’s what we do, there’s no other way but to keep believing and pushing.”

England kicked off the World Cup with a 4-2 win over Croatia, with the game tied at 2-2 after the break.

Following the game, Kane said the team’s improved second-half performance came after Tuchel told them in a half-time team talk, “If we lose, it’s our way.”

England drew 0-0 with Ghana and beat Panama 2-0 to top the group and beat Democratic Congo 2-1 in the last 32.

They went down to 10 men against Mexico but held on to beat Norway 2-1 after extra time against Argentina to win 3-2.

The Three Lions now face hosts France in the other semi-final in Spain in the third-place play-off on Saturday (22:00 BST).

English attacking midfielder Jude Bellingham, like Kane, was the star of the season, scoring 6 goals.

While he said he was “struggling to find the right words” following England’s exit, he shared a four-page poem titled ‘Lion Road’ written by team driver Michael Chandler, which “hits the nail on the head”.

The poem ends with the line “The soul is strengthened, the soul is confirmed.” Bellingham called it “unity”., External Following the defeat of England.

“Don’t let the unity and love we have seen in our country end in this campaign. When we are together we will achieve great things,” said the Real Madrid player.

Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rodgers lined up Gordon for England’s opener against Argentina and said he was “depressed” following the defeat.

“We’ve given a lot to get this far and it’s going to end the way it did.” he said., External

“We’ve shared memories that will last a lifetime and I’ve lived my childhood dream of representing my country at the World Cup. We’ll be back, mark my words.”

Gordon, who moved to Barcelona from Newcastle United, added: “After waiting so many years I really thought it was time to win but it didn’t happen and it will hurt for a while.

“Not just for the trophy, but for everything we’ve built as a team and what it would have meant for England, I never wanted to win so badly.”