​ATLANTA — England was on top against Argentina in the World Cup semifinal, up 1-0 and looking set to play in its first final in 60 years.But then, midway through the second half, Thomas Tuchel decided to shut everything down.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt completely backfired.It’s typically hard to draw a straight line from a coaching decision to an outcome on the field. But on Wednesday, July 15, it was simple. England went ultra defensive too early and paid the price, losing 2-1 in a heartbreaker.Anthony Gordon gave England a 1-0 lead in the 55th minute. As England held onto a one-goal lead, Tuchel decided to shut the game down rather than chase a second goal to kill it off.In one sense, Tuchel’s move made some sense. The England boss was in a similar situation against Mexico in the round of 16 and his move paid major dividends. England was defensively stout at the Azteca and held on for a famous 3-2 win.1 / 9Argentina’s forward #10 Lionel Messi (R) shoots the ball past Argentina’s midfielder #24 Enzo Fernandez during warm up ahead of the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between England and Argentina at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on July 15, 2026.(PAUL ELLIS, AFP via Getty Images)But Wednesday’s semifinal was a much different situation than the round of 16. For one, England was down to 10 men against Mexico. Chasing a goal to kill the game wasn’t a realistic option down a man at altitude.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSecondly, and with no disrespect to Mexico, this was Argentina. The defending World Cup champions are not only a superior outfit to Mexico, but they have also made a habit this World Cup of scoring heart-stopping late goals.But Tuchel still hooked Gordon with 72 minutes on the clock, replacing the winger with defender Ezri Konza.With 18 minutes plus stoppage time remaining, England went into a back five. The plan very clearly started to falter immediately.Jordan Pickford had already been called into action in the 69th minute, making a point-blank save on a Nicolás González header.England continued to ride its luck when Alexis Mac Allister’s header hit the post five minutes later. Enzo Fernández had a long-range shot that went just wide.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith his team increasingly under pressure, Tuchel made more defensive changes. Two more defenders, Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly, came on in the 83rd minute, replacing midfielder Declan Rice and defender Reece James.Even with six defenders on the field, nobody managed to close down Fernández for his 85th-minute equalizer from the top of the box. England was simply too deep in its own box.The onslaught continued and when Lautaro Martínez headed home just minutes later, England’s fate was sealed.But really, it felt like it had been sealed even earlier.”We defended probably a little bit too deep with the quality of chances that Argentina were creating,” defender Dan Burn admitted after the game. “It felt like it was a