The first 45 minutes against Croatia were England's best of the tournament?

Are we in agreement here?

Andrew Rogers
BBC Newsbeat

BBC Newsbeat watched the game with fans at the Indian Brewery Taproom in Birmingham city centre.

There weren’t many fans left after the final whistle but the few who hung around to drown their sorrows told us they couldn’t believe how defensive England went after going 1-0 up.

“It’s difficult because until the end they didn’t look like the better team,” Sam said about Argentina.

“I think we set up well but if you’re going to sit back for 30 minutes you’re always going to bring them on. Once we brought on three centre backs and they’ve scored, they’re always going to get another.”

His mate EJ agrees, saying they were the wrong tactics by Thomas Tuchel “when there’s Messi on the pitch”.

“He’s going to find a way, no matter way. Just get as many goals as you can because you saw, Messi won the game for them,” he said.

And it seems England’s tactics had left the guys’ friend Sean with too many questions.

“Would I have brought on Rashford a lot earlier? Yes I would’ve. Was it in our hands? Yes. What can we do now? Nothing. I feel like we played that very, very wrong.”

Someone else who hung around after the full-time whistle was Karina, who said she “thought it was coming home”.

“They’ve tried their hardest but it wasn’t enough,” she said.

“I think that the defence wasn’t strong enough, they were going strong for so long and then the defence didn’t come through for us tonight.”

England head coach Thomas Tuchel was the only foreign manager remaining in the World Cup, since last night anyway.

With Spaniard Luis de la Fuente and Argentine Lionel Scaloni leading their sides in Sunday's final, we have yet to see a foreign manager lift the trophy.

Image source, Getty Images

How's the atmosphere in the office this morning?

Have to say it's pretty glum here at BBC Sport HQ after what we all witnessed last night.

Joe Hart
Former England goalkeeper on BBC One

I didn't see any patterns of play that could have kept England the ball. For all of the hard work and effort they have got through in the tournament, they did not have that default, to play it around, to stay calm and to move their centre backs out of position.

I didn't see anything other than the old school get it up the pitch and see if we can get numbers around it.

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Henry Winter
Football writer on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast

Anyone who has watched England down the years knows that there is this inbuilt element where they will retreat into themselves once they have taken the lead. It's happened time and again. It's an issue of fear which Gareth Southgate tried to banish.

The idea of bringing Tuchel in, at vast expanse, was to get England over the line and make sure they stayed on the front foot, that fear didn't infiltrate that back line, and the substitutions were just crazy.

There's a lot of anger out there. He's not going to lose his job because Mark Bullingham and the credibility of individuals like that who appointed him and then have given him this ridiculous new contract before the tournament - we didn't remember anything from [Fabio] Capello in 2010? - their credibility is tied up in that so obviously they're going to back him and he'll stay on.

But England have missed a golden opportunity and this was absolutely key - this is our last World Cup with Harry Kane. Who is coming through after Harry Kane who is going to lead the line as a number nine? This is why there's so much anger toward Tuchel tonight. For blowing this chance.

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John Murray
BBC football correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live

I've seen this story many times now and having been born in 1966 - I do wonder whether there will ever be a time where the England men's team are able to cross the line and win a trophy. I don't know what it is.

Thomas Tuchel actually referred to this as a curse, he actually said I don't believe there is a curse.

But it almost feels like it and it almost feels like a consolation that they are getting closer and the England teams have produced some great performances, some great wins over the course of the last five tournaments - to get to semi-finals and reach finals on two of those occasions, that is progress.

But I don't know why it is that we always fall short.

England against defending World Cup champions only seems to end one way and that's with the Three Lions heading home.

Last night was the fourth time that's happened, so let's jog your memory:

• Uruguay 4-2 England 1954
• Brazil 3-1 England 1962
• England 1-2 France 2022
• England 1-2 Argentina 2026

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

England fan, Robert, spoke to Radio 5 Live: "I love Jude Bellingham and I think he's definitely England's captain after Kane and I think - give him the team, give him the responsibility and leadership and put some good players around him and we can accomplish something special in the future.

"It's just not easy to see that right now, but Argentina knows how to win, and we know how to lose - and that's a fundamental English problem we've had it. We've tried several foreign managers with great CVs and Champions leagues and league titles all over Europe, but we still can't believe in ourselves to go and win a game of football when it really matters."

Tim Vickery
South American football expert on BBC Radio 5 Live

I can't believe that Spain will self-destruct in the way that England have self-destructed.

England had Argentina exactly where they should have wanted them - exactly.

We said at half time, 'the space will open up, Argentina are terrified of England running at them'. And that's where the goal comes from, the space opening up.

Then it's a case of tearing them apart on the counter attack. You've got both centre backs on a yellow card, and what do England do?

I'm absolutely baffled by the decisions that the coach has taken here.

He got away with a bad one at half time against Norway. But this one really, really didn't deserve to come off because everything Argentina wanted England to do, they did.

Argentina terrified of all those runners, going at them at pace. England take off all of the people who can do that.

Argentina have been finding it very hard to pass their way down the field. England say, 'well, you don't have to do that, you don't have to pass your way down the field, we'll hang off our own cross bar like a team of bats and we'll give you all of the space to do it'.

Against Switzerland, Argentina were allowed back into the game by the Swiss centre forward being sent off. Against England, Argentina were allowed back into the game by the England team choosing all of the wrong decisions. And I'm afraid this has to be on the coach. I found the decisions that he made absolutely baffling.

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Micah Richards
Former England defender on BBC One

When England scored that first goal they should have gone for the second. Yes, you respect their quality, but dropping deep allowed Argentina to get into their flow.

For all their effort, they have been outstanding, digging in at the right moments and getting over the line. But you have to look at the manager and his decisions.

They made it too easy for Argentina in that second half.

England have been eliminated every time they have faced a top 10 ranked nation in the knockout stages of the World Cup since 1998 (7/7).

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There are just two occasions of a team scoring first in the semi-final but not reaching the final of the World Cup in the 21st century – both of them are England (vs Croatia in 2018 and Argentina in 2026).

Guillem Balague
Spanish football journalist on X

Hard to see it now, but England is living a golden era and learning to compete on the hardest of games.

Today they needed more bravery, this word Tuchel has used so often, from the manager. Protecting a lead so early should be put down to Tuchel. But they are so close.

Maybe it wasn't all down to Southgate after all! (It isn't), There is a lack of controlling midfielders (or lack of trust in them).

By the way, this confidence pre-game came from a wrong reading of what Argentina is about. That should be another lesson for the future

Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart criticise England's negative approach after going 1-0 up in the World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

England have suffered plenty of pain over the years, but as an observer covering a seventh World Cup, as well as those Euro final defeats, this felt like the worst.

This was not because it was against the old adversary Argentina, with all the history and iconic imagery that evokes, who created such obvious despair among England's players and supporters.

It was because this will be forever a World Cup semi-final of "what ifs" against an Argentina side that has looked beatable all tournament, but who simply refuse to lose.

This was the World Cup semi-final, the latest big chance to challenge for the sport's greatest prize in New Jersey on Sunday.

England were within minutes of crossing the barrier that has proved insurmountable for six decades, only to stumble again.

Gordon's goal looked to have finally given England a measure of control in an occasionally brutal game - and even after they ceded control and possession, the finishing line was in sight until they finally crumbled.

Given the stage, this is a defeat that will be pored over more - and leave more regret - than any other.

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