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Heartbreak for England, again | World Cup Daily – video
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37'
Yellow card Elliot ANDERSON (England) is booked by
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42'
Yellow card Lisandro MARTINEZ (Argentina) is booked by
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51'
Yellow card Cristian ROMERO (Argentina) is booked by
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55'
Goal Anthony GORDON (England) scores!!
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85'
Goal Enzo FERNANDEZ (Argentina) scores!!
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90'+2'
Goal Lautaro MARTINEZ (Argentina) scores!!
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90'+4'
Yellow card Rodrigo DE PAUL (Argentina) is booked
England squad
- Selected
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1 Jordan PICKFORD Goalkeeper
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4 Declan RICE Midfielder
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5 John STONES Defender
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6 Marc GUEHI Defender
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8 Elliot ANDERSON Midfielder
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9 Harry KANE C Forward
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10 Jude BELLINGHAM Midfielder
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17 Morgan ROGERS Midfielder
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18 Anthony GORDON Forward
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24 Reece JAMES Defender
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25 Djed SPENCE Defender
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2 Ezri KONSA Defender
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3 Nico OREILLY Defender
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7 Bukayo SAKA Forward
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11 Marcus RASHFORD Forward
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12 Trevoh CHALOBAH Defender
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13 Dean Henderson Goalkeeper
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14 Jordan HENDERSON Midfielder
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15 Dan BURN Defender
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16 Kobbie MAINOO Midfielder
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19 Ollie WATKINS Forward
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20 Noni MADUEKE Forward
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21 Eberechi EZE Midfielder
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22 Ivan TONEY Forward
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23 James TRAFFORD Goalkeeper
- Full squad
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26 Jarell QUANSAH Defender
Argentina squad
- Selected
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3 Nicolas TAGLIAFICO Defender
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5 Leandro PAREDES Midfielder
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6 Lisandro MARTINEZ Defender
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9 Julian ALVAREZ Forward
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10 Lionel MESSI C Forward
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13 Cristian ROMERO Defender
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17 Giuliano SIMEONE Forward
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20 Alexis MAC ALLISTER Midfielder
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23 Emiliano MARTINEZ Goalkeeper
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24 Enzo FERNANDEZ Midfielder
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26 Nahuel MOLINA Defender
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1 Juan MUSSO Goalkeeper
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2 Marcos SENESI Defender
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4 Gonzalo MONTIEL Defender
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7 Rodrigo DE PAUL Midfielder
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8 Valentin BARCO Midfielder
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11 Giovani Lo Celso Midfielder
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12 Geronimo RULLI Goalkeeper
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14 Exequiel PALACIOS Midfielder
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15 Nico GONZALEZ Midfielder
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16 Thiago ALMADA Forward
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18 Nico PAZ Forward
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19 Nicolas OTAMENDI Defender
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21 Jose Manuel LOPEZ Forward
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22 Lautaro MARTINEZ Forward
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25 Facundo MEDINA Defender
In a Guardian World Cup Daily video, host Max Rushden discusses England's 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, joined by football writers Barry Glendenning, John Brewin, Jonathan Wilson and Nicky Bandini. The panel reflects on yet another painful tournament exit for England, a familiar narrative for English football fans following the national team's recurring near-misses at major tournaments.
The 38-minute video podcast forms part of the Guardian's ongoing World Cup 2026 daily coverage, with the panel of experienced football journalists offering analysis and reaction to the semi-final result. No further match details or quotes are provided in the accompanying text, as the content is presented primarily as a video discussion.
In short
- England lose 2-1 to Argentina in World Cup semi-final.
- Guardian panel discusses the defeat on World Cup Daily podcast.
- Another tournament heartbreak for England fans.
Explained simply
The FIFA World Cup is the world's most prestigious international football competition, held every four years to determine the world's best national team. England has reached the semi-final stage of this year's competition but has been eliminated after losing to Argentina, meaning the team will not play in the final.
England has a long history of reaching the latter stages of major tournaments only to fall short of winning them. Fans have become familiar with the pattern of the team achieving promising campaigns in World Cups and European Championships, only for hopes to end in semi-final or final exits. This recurring experience of near-misses has become a defining characteristic of English football's international performance.
England's tournament results carry particular weight in national sport and culture because of this history of reaching the latter stages without winning. The repeated near-misses mean that semi-final exits attract intense analysis from football journalists and commentators seeking to understand what prevents the team from progressing further and what it reveals about English football.
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