'This will haunt me': Burn devastated as England's World Cup dream dies again

For the second time in eight years, England’s men led a World Cup semi-final. But where Croatia broke hearts in 2018, it was Argentina who did the damage in 2026. Anthony Gordon fired the Three Lions ahead in the 55th minute in Atlanta, finishing off a cross from Morgan Rogers. But two late strikes — Enzo Fernandez in the 87th and Lautaro Martinez deep into stoppage time — flipped the game and sent Lionel Scaloni’s side into Sunday’s final. Newcastle defender Dan Burn, brought on as a second-half substitute with England still 1-0 up, summed up the dressing-room mood. “Gutted,” Burn said. “Absolutely gutted. We nailed the gameplan pretty well. To go 1-0 up … then we got too passive, conceded too many crosses and too many chances. When you’re playing a team of that quality, it is going to cost you. This will haunt me for a long time, I think.” England had battled past Mexico 3-2 in the round of 16 despite playing most of the second half with ten men, then edged Norway 2-1 in the quarter-finals. But against the holders they could not hold on. “It is human nature to be nervous when you’re that close to doing something you haven’t done since ’66 and be in a final,” Burn added. “Argentina have done that and got that confidence. The last few games we have been able to defend the box so well. We thought we could do that again, but we weren’t as tight as we would have liked.” Captain Harry Kane, who has scored six goals at this tournament, echoed the pain. “There’s not much to say — everyone is gutted,” the Bayern Munich striker said. “When you’re so close, ten minutes away, and it slips out of your hands like that, the lads are devastated. We did so well for 60 minutes. We scored and deserved to be ahead, then we struggled to keep the ball and allowed them to create momentum. “That’s been the missing piece for probably the past four or five tournaments. We have to find out how to improve in those situations.” Kane could still win the Golden Boot with six goals, though Lionel Messi (who set up both Argentina goals) and France’s Kylian Mbappe are both on eight. Asked about the 2030 World Cup, Kane said: “It’s too early. I’m 33 in the summer, but as you see with Leo, he’s still performing at 39. For now it’s about processing another tough loss.” Jude Bellingham, also on six goals for England at this tournament, described the heartbreak. “The lads did everything they could — I can’t fault the effort and the fight,” the Real Madrid midfielder said. “That’s the life of a footballer at this level. The more beautiful the journey, the more heartbreaking the end is. I’m really proud of all my team-mates. I wanted to be part of an England squad that finally did it. To be here telling the fans the same things they have heard for years, it’s really gutting.” Head coach Thomas Tuchel retains the backing of the Football Association and is expected to lead England into Euro 2028. He admitted surprise at his side’s inability to close out the game. “We went 1-0 up but it totally turned the momentum in their favour,” Tuchel told broadcaster Radio 5 Live. “They took all the risks after, played totally free with a lot of quality. They made offensive substitutions and suddenly had four players in …” England now face France in Saturday’s third-place play-off (22:00 BST, live on the broadcaster). Burn insisted he still felt pride. “I am still very proud of what we have done at this World Cup,” he said. “I don’t think anyone really gave us a chance. We have done a lot of good, and honestly I thought we were going to do it.”