England are out of the World Cup after a 2-1 loss against Argentina.
England are out of the World Cup, beaten 2-1 by Argentina in a semifinal in Atlanta that will live long in the memory for all the wrong reasons. Two Messi-assisted goals in the final five minutes overturned Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute opener and sent Scaloni’s side through to Sunday’s final against Spain. It was another gut-punch for English football. But amid the wreckage, Djed Spence gave Tottenham supporters something to hold onto.
Mark Goldbridge, whose post on X cleared 345,000 views, called it the tackle of the tournament. With Argentina pushing for the equalizer in the second half and England clinging on, Spence produced a perfectly timed sliding tackle in the box to deny Giuliano Simeone what looked like a certain chance. Jordan Pickford was beaten, Simeone was through, and Spence got there. It was the kind of intervention that changes games, and for a long stretch of the night it looked like it might prove decisive.
A tournament that changed the conversation around Djed Spence
Spence started at left-back, operating in a back four alongside Reece James, John Stones and Marc Guehi. He was replaced late on by Marcus Rashford as Tuchel chased an equaliser after Enzo Fernandez levelled in the 85th minute, moments before Lautaro Martinez headed home a Messi cross in stoppage time to settle it.
Coming into this tournament, Spence was a punchline for some. John Terry had called him out on Piers Morgan’s show; Tuchel had been filmed shouting at him on the touchline against DR Congo. He leaves it having started three games, featured in all seven of England’s matches, and produced what many are calling the standout defensive moment of the entire competition. Not a bad footnote.