Spain legend Iker Casillas branded England ‘cowardly’ after they were knocked out of the World Cup in the semi-finals by Argentina.
Thomas Tuchel’s side were aiming to reach a first World Cup final since 1966 and were on top when Anthony Gordon broke the deadlock shortly after half-time.
But the Three Lions decided to sit back after that in the hope of seeing out a narrow win, allowing Argentina to launch wave after wave of attack.
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez equalised in the 85th minute before Lautaro Martinez scored an injury-time winner to send Argentina, the reigning World Cup champions, into another final.
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Tuchel is set to face huge scrutiny over his in-game management, with England’s approach not dissimilar to ones often seen under former boss Sir Gareth Southgate.
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Legendary goalkeeper Casillas, who won the World Cup with Spain in 2010, believes England only have themselves to blame after their ‘cowardly approach’ against Argentine.
‘England score the goal and then sit back – cowardly approach,’ the former Real Madrid star posted on X.
‘They haven’t left their own box and have allowed Argentina to come forward more. The logical outcome happens.
‘England lost the match all by themselves with that approach. They let Argentina do whatever they wanted. That can’t happen. The final will be incredible.’
More to follow…
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Article source: https://metro.co.uk/2026/07/15/spain-legend-blasts-cowardly-england-argentina-world-cup-defeat-29148132/