Harry Kane has spoken publicly for the first time since England’s painful World Cup semi-final defeat, conceding that the Three Lions are still searching for the “final piece of the jigsaw” after a 2-1 loss to Argentina.
The 32-year-old England captain, who finished the tournament with six goals, had been bidding to guide his country to a first World Cup final since the famous triumph of 1966.
England appeared on course after taking a 1-0 lead, but they could not withstand the response from Lionel Messi’s Argentina, who scored twice to win Wednesday’s semi-final in Atlanta — a fixture also marked by controversy surrounding the Falkland Islands.
Kane later posted on social media to express his frustration, calling the defeat “hard to take” while stressing that England would regroup and “go again”.
“We were close, really close to another final but it wasn’t enough,” he wrote. “We’ve given everything over these last seven weeks and to fall short is hard to take!”
“I know the expectations are high and rightly so, we’ve been knocking on the door for eight years now but again are missing that final piece of the jigsaw!”
Speaking after the match, Kane — who turns 33 later this month — said it was still too soon to know whether he had made his final appearance at a World Cup.
However, he pointed to Messi continuing to perform at the age of 39 as proof that he could yet return to lead England on the global stage in four years’ time.
At the final whistle, Kane was seen embracing the Argentina captain in one of the few moments of sportsmanship between the two sides during what turned into an ill-tempered contest.
England captain Harry Kane, who will turn 33 later this month, admitted after the match that it was too early to tell if he had played in his final World Cup
Lisandro Martinez and Giovani Lo Celso, who have played for clubs in the Premier League, celebrate with a banner claiming the Falkland Islands
Kane and Lionel Messi embraced after the match that was marred by political tensions over the Falkland Islands
Tempers flared at full time with Jude Bellingham appearing to slap rival Valentin Barco on the back of the head.
Several Argentina players also unfurled a controversial banner declaring the Falkland Islands as belonging to their country, not Britain.
FIFA is currently exploring disciplinary action against the Argentine Football Association over the sign, which sparked a fierce backlash in the UK.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer backed calls from Business Secretary Peter Kyle for FIFA to open an investigation into the incident.
The governing body’s rules forbid the use of any political messaging at the World Cup.
However, FIFA has faced criticism for taking no action over repeated references to the 1982 Falklands conflict in songs sung by Argentina’s players throughout the tournament and shared on social media by the country’s football association.
There are now growing calls for the players who carried the banner – displayed during a match watched by an estimated 950million people worldwide – to face tougher sanctions.
A total of 255 British servicemen were among the 907 people who died in the 1982 Falklands War, which saw UK armed forces retake the islands after an Argentine invasion.
Jude Bellingham clashed with Argentina substitute Valentina Barco after the semi-final
In his social media post on Thursday, Kane also called on his players to ‘go away, process it [the loss] and find a way to get better’.
He said: ‘I’m so proud of the boys and what we have shown throughout this tournament – some tough games and tough environments that we have overcome.
‘Some memories that will stay with us players and I’m sure you fans for a long long time! Going for glory doesn’t always mean you will get it.
‘You have to fight for it, get knocked down, pick yourself up and go again and that’s what we will do, there’s no other way but to keep believing and keeping pushing.’
England’s manager Thomas Tuchel has come under fire for his tactical decisions and defensive substitutions during the semi final.
The German manager insisted after the game that he had ‘no regrets’, but pundits and fans have turned on him after his team surrendered the lead when he took off speedy goalscorer Anthony Gordon and replaced the winger with defender Ezri Konsa.
Tuchel then took off Declan Rice for Nico O’Reilly and Reece James for Dan Burn in a further retreat 10 minutes later.
Enzo Fernandez equalised with five minutes left and Lautaro Martinez won it for Argentina in stoppage time.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford sobs at the final whistle after England came within minutes of progressing to the World Cup final
Speaking his his post-match interview, Kane said: ‘I’m gutted.
‘I’m gutted for the boys, I’m gutted for everyone, the team, the staff, the fans. We played a good game for the large majority of it.
‘Once we went 1-0 up we seemed to just try and hold on which at this level is just not enough, so I’m gutted.
‘We worked so hard to be here. The lads have given every last bit of running, sweat, blood, tears, whatever it is, so to fall short like today is just gutting.
‘We struggled to get pressure on the ball.
‘First half and start of the second half we pressed them well. We put them under loads of pressure, especially high up the pitch which allowed us to win balls, control the game a little bit better.
‘After the goal, whether that was them putting more players forward or us not being able to match them man for man. It was just wave after wave and we were trying to hold on. Lads were putting blocks in but in the end it wasn’t enough.
‘The boys are always ready for any moment in the game. When we went ahead, the messaging was to go again and get another goal.
‘Then obviously when they scored their two goals, trying to get something but we couldn’t quite get the momentum back in the game.’
