Tuchel rejects England ‘curse’ talk after World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina

England’s quest to end their long World Cup drought remains unfulfilled after reigning champions Argentina staged a dramatic comeback to defeat the Three Lions 2-1 in Wednesday’s semi-final in Atlanta.

For much of the contest, England looked set to reach their first World Cup final since lifting the trophy in 1966. Anthony Gordon fired Thomas Tuchel’s men into the lead in the 55th minute, raising hopes of a historic victory. However, Argentina responded in stunning fashion, scoring twice in the closing stages—netting in the 85th and 92nd minutes—to seal a place in the final.

Despite the painful defeat, Tuchel stood by the tactical decisions that have since drawn criticism, insisting he had no regrets.

“You can discuss this with a million coaches, but I have to make decisions during the game,” Tuchel told the BBC. “I assessed the match the way I saw it, and the responsibility is mine. At the time, I had no regrets. The players gave absolutely everything, and we came very close.

“This isn’t the time to analyse the whole tournament. We’re out because we lost a decisive match.”

After taking the lead, England retreated into a more defensive shape, with Tuchel introducing defender Ezri Konsa for goalscorer Gordon in the 72nd minute as Argentina intensified the pressure.

The England manager defended both the tactical adjustment and his substitutions.

“We switched to a back five to tighten the spaces in central areas and improve our aerial strength because, immediately after scoring, we were allowing far too many crosses and chances,” he explained. “We tried to deal with that, but ultimately the responsibility lies with the coach. When the result doesn’t go your way, people naturally question those decisions.”

Tuchel felt the game took a dramatic turn after England found the breakthrough.

“At that stage, I thought we deserved to be 1-0 ahead,” he said.

“But strangely, the goal completely shifted the momentum. Argentina played with greater freedom, more intensity and more risk, almost as if they had nothing to lose anymore. That gave them confidence, while we suddenly played with the feeling that we had everything to lose.

“It became two completely different matches—one before the goal and one after it.”

Although the loss prolonged England’s decades-long wait for World Cup glory, Tuchel rejected the idea that it was another chapter in a supposed national football curse.

“I prefer to see these things from a football perspective rather than talk about curses,” he said. “I don’t believe it’s an English issue or that history is simply repeating itself. Every tournament is different, with different players, coaches, opponents and circumstances. In the end, football is decided on the pitch.”

The German, who received praise for steering England past DR Congo, Mexico and Norway to reach the last four, accepted full responsibility for the tactical choices that have since been questioned.

“That’s football,” he said. “When you lose, criticism follows. No one can know what would have happened if different decisions had been made, so there’s no point dwelling on it. I made those choices, and I’ll take responsibility for them.”

England will now take on France in Saturday’s third-place playoff, although Tuchel admitted the fixture is far from what either team had hoped for.

“Reaching the semi-finals is still an achievement because many major football nations didn’t get this far,” he said.

“But no one wants to hear that right now—not me either—because we expect the highest standards from ourselves.

“None of our players or the French players wanted to be in this match. We all wanted to play in the final. Everyone enters the tournament aiming to win the World Cup, but this is the situation we’re in.”