FIFA World Cup 2026 :Canada/Mexico/United States: Discussion Thread

[alankasman]

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Though England played quite equally against Argentina before the goal they scored, they quickly changed to entire defense with all 11 players on their pitch side including a striker like Harry Kane. It's a tactical decision from Tuchel that costs England a defeat as I believe that if England had tried to play normally, control ball somewhat more, they would have reduced considerable from Argentina, and even made more challenge to Argentina.

One of the biggest mistakes in the match was England's inept play. They were essentially able to trouble Argentina's defense and looked so good attacking that they managed to score first before Argentina equalized through Enzo Fernandez's strike.

In that match after the first goal by the English players they immediately made a change in their game plan meaning they immediately defended especially replacing Rice and bringing in a player whose position was a defender. This immediately made Argentina's game plan more flexible in controlling the game so that the Argentine players immediately carried out the scheme given by their coach which was to continue attacking until they managed to dampen the beautiful game carried out by England before the goal scored by Enzo Fernandez.
And also in that match Leo Messi was very brilliant in carrying out his role as a Playmaker for the Argentine team because he was always the player who was given the ball by other players so this was evidenced by the two goals scored by the Argentine players as a result of assists from their megastar Lionel Messi.

[meser#]

I ain't gonna lie I am starting to think that Argentina might be taking the piss with other teams.
Like for real how can they always win last minute?

Even assuming 0 ill intent from fixing matches or anything like that I think there's a real chance they play this way just to play a fool of other teams make them think they can win and then one shot them at the very end.

Could it be?

I do not think the Argentine players' aim is to mock their opponents, but they certainly fight with greater determination when they fall behind on the scoreboard. All the players rally around Messi; he is the heart and soul of the team. They managed to stage comebacks in both matches—and in the final ten minutes, no less—but the likelihood of that happening against Spain is very low.
If Spain takes the lead, they will easily defeat Argentina, perhaps even by a wide margin. Let me make one more prediction: if Spain goes ahead, the probability of Argentine players receiving a red card will increase as the match progresses.

[Majestic-milf]

 I've said this before, the more people keep saying everything is scripted as regards Argentina it will undermine the efforts of the players. I watched the game and I can beat my chest and say that England were worthy competitors but it's just sad that they played against a side equally stubborn in Argentina. At some point in the game I thought they were going to lose because the way England tightened their defense and were not allowing Argentina break through. It's crazy because if you play a team as attack minded as Argentina, you don't score one goal and park the bus, see how they dealt with Egypt who even had two goals in front, that should have told England something.

[Shineup]

I'm totally disappointed with England, like they betrayed the trust I had in them, at first I was all happy that they scored the first goal and take the lead, but what was the reason why they all ran back to defend against a team like Argentina that has some amazing players as they had, that was the worst of mistake they had ever done since this year FIFA world cup started, all the same a big congrats to the Argentine team, no doubt Enzo Fernandez was on fire last night, and I was like if they keep giving this guy this striking opportunity he might convert one, and he did converted one, nice one to Leo Messi for that assist.

[HajiBagi]

I'm totally disappointed with England, like they betrayed the trust I had in them, at first I was all happy that they scored the first goal and take the lead, but what was the reason why they all ran back to defend against a team like Argentina that has some amazing players as they had, that was the worst of mistake they had ever done since this year FIFA world cup started, all the same a big congrats to the Argentine team, no doubt Enzo Fernandez was on fire last night, and I was like if they keep giving this guy this striking opportunity he might convert one, and he did converted one, nice one to Leo Messi for that assist.

I’m not disappointed at England because they tried their best but I’m totally disappointed at Thomas Tuchel, that man did not deserve to coach any club or any country and  i don’t even know what England see in him that make them chose him as a coach, i knew he was going to play a defensive game after leading in the game because he has been doing it when he was coaching many teams, i can remember the last time when he was coaching Bayern Munich when they were leading in the Champions League semi final against Real Madrid, he defended against Real Madrid that have the best players in that season and conceded two goals in the space of eight minutes.

Argentina coach start putting all his attacking players on the field when he knows that England want to defend and he also said it during the interview after the game, I will never blame any England player because they did what the coach ask them to do, if they continue the game the way they start the game they will definitely going to win because the game was 50/50 from the beginning of the game.

[Dewali]

Yesterday game was one the biggest shock to me having seen the quality of players England possess all my thoughts was it going to b easy game for England to win but unfortunately that man Lionel Messi to game by himself and fight back till end of the game to make sure Argentina got through the next stage of the final with Spain. It was a very difficult game for to bear after the loss to England because plan was England to eliminate Argentina yesterday

[Jostern]

I'm totally disappointed with England, like they betrayed the trust I had in them, at first I was all happy that they scored the first goal and take the lead, but what was the reason why they all ran back to defend against a team like Argentina that has some amazing players as they had, that was the worst of mistake they had ever done since this year FIFA world cup started, all the same a big congrats to the Argentine team, no doubt Enzo Fernandez was on fire last night, and I was like if they keep giving this guy this striking opportunity he might convert one, and he did converted one, nice one to Leo Messi for that assist.

Why are you trusting England, when you know who they’re playing against, an Argentinian team that have more experience compared to England who doesn’t have much experience when it comes to the FIFA World Cup, a team that have won the World Cup, with the Greatest Player Of All Time (Lionel Messi) I’m going to believe you’re from England which is why you have so much trust on England.

Look as soon as England scored the goal, and they started defending, I knew immediately that something is wrong, I know Argentina was going to get back to the game, Argentina kept on probing along the half way line in the 18 yard box, and Messi was pushed into the right wing, and he kept on putting those crosses, they started to overload the 16 yard line, and they started having tremendous opportunities at goal, Thomas Tuchel absolutely got his game plan wrong after scoring that goal, I was expecting him to come out fully to play Argentina instead of sitting back to defend, and playing a low block isn’t a good game plan, he deserves all the criticism he is getting.

You can’t silent Messi in a game forever, he is the best player to have ever played football.

Congratulations to Argentina and Messi.

Spain vs Argentina, massive game. 

Messi winning the World Cup once Again.

[Joeboy]

Tuchel definitely will loose his job over this elimination..Coz why would he ask his boys to switch to defensive mode after scoring just 1 goal, which sensible coach should even do that.. .Argentina naturally is good and with a key striker which is Messi, England has supposed to keep pressing till they successfully net like 2 to 3 goals before then switching to defensive mode.. I needed them to win, but honestly they screwed things up big time..The painful part was when Marcus Rashford was brought into the match 5 minutes before the final whistle. I mean there is no magic he can perform given that short time.

[ZeroVinsonN]

Yesterday game was one the biggest shock to me having seen the quality of players England possess all my thoughts was it going to b easy game for England to win but unfortunately that man Lionel Messi to game by himself and fight back till end of the game to make sure Argentina got through the next stage of the final with Spain. It was a very difficult game for to bear after the loss to England because plan was England to eliminate Argentina yesterday

That's why the decision isn't yours or even ours to make, the players played all that they could and Argentina came out on top, it might not have been the outcome some people wanted but it is what happened and now Argentina has moved up to the finals to play against Spain, it's going to be one of the biggest finals ever and I can't wait to watch it and see how it ends, I will be happy no matter the team that wins.

[Nwadiche]

the loss is entirely Tuchel's fault. such a poor tactic of pinning the entire team back against their goal ultimately had a negative impact. we didn't see a single counterattack from England after they scored. I can only imagine the criticism Tuchel will receive from local journalists in England; they'll simply ruin him.

Exactly, Thomas tuchel made England not to qualify for that final with his poor tactics in second half his team did very well in first half. I was glad to see England scored first thinking they'll attack more just after they scored in 55 minutes he instructed them to fall back to defense how is it possible to defend one goal in 55 minutes, if England came and and play the ball after they've scored they'll be the one to play this final, he did the same mistakes arteta did in champions league final against PSG. I was even praising tuchel for leading England squad this time around into semifinal thinking they'll get to the final not knowing he'll spoiled the game in next few minutes, whatever criticism he received from England he deserved it.

[Arenga pinnata]

I'm totally disappointed with England, like they betrayed the trust I had in them, at first I was all happy that they scored the first goal and take the lead, but what was the reason why they all ran back to defend against a team like Argentina that has some amazing players as they had, that was the worst of mistake they had ever done since this year FIFA world cup started, all the same a big congrats to the Argentine team, no doubt Enzo Fernandez was on fire last night, and I was like if they keep giving this guy this striking opportunity he might convert one, and he did converted one, nice one to Leo Messi for that assist.

Argentina has undoubtedly always been consistent, and I like how they keep playing their usual game no matter who they’re up against. But yeah, England has been a bit disappointing. I also hoped they could play with more confidence, as they usually do. But they seemed too cautious, so I felt like England wasn’t playing up to their usual standard. Mentality always plays a crucial role in important matches like this, and clearly, I think Argentina always has the better mentality. So it’s no surprise they were able to win this match. Now I think we’re in for a truly nail biting final. So far, Argentina has managed to defeat every team. And now we’re all curious to see whether Spain will be able to beat Argentina or if Argentina will claim the World Cup title once again.

[samadam007]

I never expected the outcome of that match because i was seriously rooting for England to pocket Argentina, so they can qualify to play Spain in final and whoop them too. Still angry up till this moment. They should have learnt from what happened in ARG and Egypt match…. exactly the same winning pattern

So many things went wrong in that match that’s why they lost; Kane was nowhere to be found. My boy Saka would have done between if they had brought him in. Another crazy thing was bringing in Rashford few minutes to the end of the match

[Stormisover]

It still hurts me how France got evicted from this year FIFA world cup I said let me bring this up, should we say Didier Deschamps cost them that game? Because despite the fact that he's not been playing Ngolo Kante in the games his presence was actually needed in that game against Spain because Spain was playing with the midfield and France was wandering in it like some lost stranger people that lost their way, trust me had it been he brought these two they could have changed the game and that lost wouldn't had happened, I just like what these two was doing while France was lossing because they could have been of a big help.

[Smack That Ace]

Argentina coach start putting all his attacking players on the field when he knows that England want to defend and he also said it during the interview after the game, I will never blame any England player because they did what the coach ask them to do, if they continue the game the way they start the game they will definitely going to win because the game was 50/50 from the beginning of the game.

This was England manager Tuchel's biggest mistake. Argentina will be completely attacking in the second half, as we have seen in their last few matches. More importantly, Scaloni has not kept several key players in his squad in the starting XI. Martinez, Molina, De Paul and Otamendi have been seen playing well in the attacking gameplay. These players were kept in reserve by Scaloni to speed up his attack in the second half. And as usual, he did just that.

After taking a 1-0 lead, Tuchel thought that it was possible to defeat Argentina by playing a defensive gameplay. But Egypt completely failed to do the same thing. The team played poorly defensively and still lost. England also made the same mistake.

[pewboy]

However, I disagree with your comment about the final, Argentina already won the World Cup by beating France in the last World Cup. So it is not impossible in this World Cup. Even England has the ability to beat France or Spain.

Spain as someone wrote, they have a conservative style of play, defend keep control of the ball and at the right time attack and often come to score.
This style of play has made France suffer, but I'm not sure it will work against Argentina too, they have a very similar style, they stay on the defensive and if they are under pressure they start to push and recover even if they have conceded goals.

[Ever-young]

That's why the decision isn't yours or even ours to make, the players played all that they could and Argentina came out on top, it might not have been the outcome some people wanted but it is what happened and now Argentina has moved up to the finals to play against Spain, it's going to be one of the biggest finals ever and I can't wait to watch it and see how it ends, I will be happy no matter the team that wins.

Well this was literally the outcome I expected and I would have been surprised if the game had ended in a 1:0. The game just proves the saying that never say it’s over until it’s over, because I know all England supporters had already concluded that it was actually over with England leading with one goal at 80+ minutes. At some point I was even wondering is Argentina intentionally wanted or planned to wait till that time before doing their magic, because all of a sudden it looked like they suddenly knew what they were doing, scoring 2 goals in less than 20 minutes with two tremendous assists from Messi…

[DanWalker]

I do not think the Argentine players' aim is to mock their opponents, but they certainly fight with greater determination when they fall behind on the scoreboard. All the players rally around Messi; he is the heart and soul of the team. They managed to stage comebacks in both matches—and in the final ten minutes, no less—but the likelihood of that happening against Spain is very low.
If Spain takes the lead, they will easily defeat Argentina, perhaps even by a wide margin. Let me make one more prediction: if Spain goes ahead, the probability of Argentine players receiving a red card will increase as the match progresses.

The way Argentina performed in the last 20 minutes, this team is capable of defeating any strong team in the world. They have a decent squad. More importantly, the players' morale is very strong. The players are confident. They want to win the match at any cost. They are desperate to win the match. And that is why they are able to continue their winning streak. At the same time, we are also obliged to praise Scaloni's match strategy. The chemistry between the players has been good, at the same time, he identifies the weaknesses of the opponent and makes strategies. It is true that it is difficult to win the final against Spain. But it is not impossible.

[Cryptmuster]

The way Argentina performed in the last 20 minutes, this team is capable of defeating any strong team in the world. They have a decent squad. More importantly, the players' morale is very strong. The players are confident. They want to win the match at any cost. They are desperate to win the match. And that is why they are able to continue their winning streak. At the same time, we are also obliged to praise Scaloni's match strategy. The chemistry between the players has been good, at the same time, he identifies the weaknesses of the opponent and makes strategies. It is true that it is difficult to win the final against Spain. But it is not impossible.

This was a good performance from Argentina. In fact, I even had a feeling that England would take the lead in this match. And that would wake Argentina up, for some reason, they only start playing when they concede a goal. Not a very good tendency, but it gets Argentina going, and they're starting to play much better. I liked Argentina more in this matchm and I really didn't like how, after England opened the scoring, they switched completely to a defensive game. Maybe that could have workedm, but why test it when they could have played the way they did before and pushed Argentina away from their goal.

[IceLincoln]

I ain't gonna lie I am starting to think that Argentina might be taking the piss with other teams.
Like for real how can they always win last minute?

Even assuming 0 ill intent from fixing matches or anything like that I think there's a real chance they play this way just to play a fool of other teams make them think they can win and then one shot them at the very end.

Could it be?

I do not think the Argentine players' aim is to mock their opponents, but they certainly fight with greater determination when they fall behind on the scoreboard. All the players rally around Messi; he is the heart and soul of the team. They managed to stage comebacks in both matches—and in the final ten minutes, no less—but the likelihood of that happening against Spain is very low.
If Spain takes the lead, they will easily defeat Argentina, perhaps even by a wide margin. Let me make one more prediction: if Spain goes ahead, the probability of Argentine players receiving a red card will increase as the match progresses.

When Messi started this tournament it was all rosy for him and the goals were coming and people wondered if he might not have any assists but as the tournament progressed it became tough and the need for the playmaker in him became prominent. You could see him asking for the ball and wanting to get more involved than he had normally done all this while. He ran his highest against England and topped it with two assists.
There is no stopping him, stop him from scoring he creates the chance for others.
The game against Spain is going to be Epic, now it’s the Copa America champions against the European Champions back to number 1 And number two 2.

[Sim_card]

This was a good performance from Argentina. In fact, I even had a feeling that England would take the lead in this match. And that would wake Argentina up, for some reason, they only start playing when they concede a goal. Not a very good tendency, but it gets Argentina going, and they're starting to play much better. I liked Argentina more in this matchm and I really didn't like how, after England opened the scoring, they switched completely to a defensive game. Maybe that could have workedm, but why test it when they could have played the way they did before and pushed Argentina away from their goal.

England belittle themselves by goin back to play a complete defensive game after they scored that goal. It was too early, they should have continue playing as they were playing before the goal came in. That gave Argentina the opportunity to bombard their defense with endless strikes from different angles. They couldn't withstand the pressure and get tired. Argentina got the chance to score two goals. All defensive effort wasted. I respect Argentina.