Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane ‘gutted’ after England’s World Cup semi-final defeat

England were stunned as Argentina staged another improbable comeback to claim a 2-1 victory in the 2026 World Cup semi-final to keep their title defense alive. The Three Lions led for 78 minutes and could taste their place in Sunday’s final against Spain, before Lionel Messi & Co. stole it. As the result piled up and England’s 60-year drought continued, it stung the players, leaving them to face devastation. Here’s how heartbroken England players reacted. The England players shared a look with their cheering section. Except this time, there were no choruses to Oasis’ “Wonderwall,” or Jude Bellingham’s serenade of the Beatles’ “Hey, Jude.” Bellingham lingered a moment longer than his teammates, and the 23-year-old star could have sworn he would never feel that despair again. Bellingham has been a star at the 2026 World Cup, scoring six goals and registering one assist. He scored twice in England’s quarter-final match against Norway and the round of 16 match against Mexico. Thanks to his performances, he has earned the respect of many people, including Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni. Bellingham clearly felt all the emotions. He cried, he hugged Scaloni and he got involved with the Argentine players. Bellingham found himself on the wrong end of a series of tackles in one of the most physical matches of the 2026 World Cup. He certainly didn’t like it. Kane was left in disbelief after England’s defeat, drawing a slight applause from England fans. Kane tied Bellingham with six goals as England’s top scorer, but he has failed to score in England’s last two matches. He did, however, help spark the break that led to Anthony Gordon’s goal in Wednesday’s semifinal match. “Gutted for the boys. Gutted for everyone: the staff, the fans,” Kane said. “We played a good game for the vast majority of the game. When we were up 1-0, we just tried to hold on, which at this level, that’s not enough. Just gutted because we worked so hard to be here and the guys gave it their all, their sweat, their blood, their tears, whatever it was. So for it to fail, it’s just gutted.” England manager Thomas Tuchel replaced a trio of defensive players and opted to drop back after Anthony Gordon’s opening goal. This strategy led Argentina to launch attack after attack and England, in retreat, to concede two decisive goals. “We are disappointed,” Tuchel said. “So close, but we became too passive after scoring. We conceded a lot of chances and couldn’t turn possession over. We conceded so many crosses, chances and shots. We were close, but couldn’t maintain the level after scoring.”