​Some people were on the pitch. They thought it was all over. It was then, when Lionel Messi crossed, when Lautaro Martinez headed, when the Argentina substitutes charged towards the corner flag to celebrate. England’s bid to win the World Cup was over. Sixty years of hurt, sixty years since Hurst, England still see that tackle by Moore and Nobby dancing.But it remains the case that the only time their men won a World Cup semi-final was when Bobby belted the ball; they have not reached a final since. For half an hour, it seemed that Anthony Gordon would join Bobby Charlton in a select band, of England players to score the winner in this stage. For a quarter of an hour, it seemed like Bobby Moore’s tackle on Pele would be accompanied by mentions of Djed Spence’s thunderous challenge to prevent Giuliano Simeone from shooting.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJordan Pickford had his Gordon Banks moment, too, a wonderful save from Nico Gonzalez. And yet, ultimately, each came in defeat; in years to come, these will be footnotes, not moments destined for English football folklore.For Thomas Tuchel, the comparison point is not Sir Alf Ramsey, his greatest predecessor, but his immediate one and still England’s second finest ever manager, Gareth Southgate. England have had their second best decade ever; but it would have been better if they could hold on to leads on the major stages. This completed a hat-trick: after Croatia in the 2018 semi-final, after Italy in the Euro 2020 final.Twice when it mattered, Southgate’s sides could not keep the ball. Tuchel’s team did not try. The decision was made to cede much of the pitch to Argentina, to try and reprise the heroic rearguard action in Mexico City: but with 11 men, not 10, earlier than seemed necessary.England put their own backs against the wall. Tuchel went to a back five, but it backfired. And in a sense, it was a back six, with a sixth defender, in Nico O’Reilly, in a midfield that didn’t seem fit for purpose. They allowed Alexis Mac Allister the freedom to hit the woodwork twice, Enzo Fernandez the room to rifle in the equaliser. They liberated Messi. Just when it seemed his World Cup career was ending, he conjured two assists.England’s tactical changes unlocked space for Lionel Messi to set up both of Argentina’s goals (Reuters)Removing Gordon, a workaholic of a goalscorer, had a logic, given his tendency to run himself into the ground, but by replacing him with Ezri Konsa, Tuchel took away England’s threat and when, including added time, there were still 27 minutes remaining. He summoned his special-ops agent, Dan Burn, perhaps sensing Messi’s nemesis might be a man about twice his height and who can head the ball half the length of the pitch. It wasn’t.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith each change, England handed the initiative to Argentina. They needed no second invitation. A nation with a historical grudge against England, a team with a fighting spirit tha