Rooney blames Tuchel’s ‘defensive gamble’ for England’s late World Cup collapse against Argentina

Wayne Rooney has launched a fierce attack on England coach Thomas Tuchel, accusing him of “asking for trouble” with ultra-defensive substitutions as England surrendered a late lead to lose 2-1 to Argentina in the 2026 World Cup semi-final.

The former Manchester United and England captain said Tuchel’s changes invited pressure and allowed the world champions, inspired by Lionel Messi, to turn the match around in the closing minutes on Wednesday.

England led until the 85th minute in New York, thanks to a second-half strike from Anthony Gordon, but conceded twice late on – a long-range effort from Enzo Fernandez and a stoppage-time header by Lautaro Martinez – to crash out of the tournament.

‘We put ourselves in a great position and didn’t know what to do’

Rooney, speaking to The Sun, was scathing about how England tried to see out the game after Gordon’s opener on 55 minutes.

On Tuchel’s substitutions, he said: “لقد وضعنا انفسنا في وضع جيد للغاية ولم نكن نعرف ماذا نفعل”.

He added: “تراجعنا للخلف، وتركناهم يضغطون علينا. وضعونا تحت الضغط وانهار الفريق. بمجرد ان سجلوا الهدف الاول، كان من المحتم ان يسجلوا الهدف الثاني”.

Rooney argued that England abandoned their attacking intent too early and became passive against a side containing Messi.

“عندما تتقدم في النتيجة، عليك ان تحافظ على تقدمك. نتقدم بهدف، ثم نتراجع للخلف، ونجري تغييرات، ونلعب بخمسة او ستة مدافعين. اذا سمحت لميسي والارجنتين بالهجوم عليك، فانت تجلب المشاكل لنفسك”.

Defensive reshuffle under scrutiny

After Gordon broke the deadlock, Tuchel moved quickly to tighten England’s back line rather than seek a second goal.

In the 72nd minute, the German coach replaced Gordon with defender Ezri Konsa. Soon after, he brought on towering full-back Dan Burn and youngster Niko O’Reilly to cover for injured duo Reece James and Declan Rice, further shifting England’s shape towards deep defence.

The tactical switch appeared to hand Argentina the initiative. England retreated into their own half, struggled to keep the ball and were increasingly pinned back as the match moved into its final stages.

The pressure finally told in the 85th minute when Fernandez unleashed a spectacular long-range strike to level the score. With England rocking, Martinez then rose highest in the 92nd minute to head in the winner and complete a dramatic turnaround.

Tuchel responded by throwing on forwards Ivan Toney and Marcus Rashford in the 96th minute, but by then, as Rooney pointed out, the damage had already been done.

‘Fans spent a lot of money – I expected more’

Rooney also voiced sympathy for England supporters who travelled to the United States, insisting they had the right to expect a stronger finish from a side that had been minutes away from a World Cup final.

He said: “لقد انفق هولاء المشجعون الكثير من المال للتواجد هنا. كنت اتوقع المزيد في هذه المباراة. الارجنتين هي بطلة العالم. كنا نعلم ان ذلك سيكون هو الفارق”.

Reflecting on England’s exit and the impact of Tuchel’s decisions, Rooney added: “التغييرات التي اجريناها لم تجد نفعا. نشعر بالاحباط الشديد. احيانا تحتاج الى قليل من الحظ للفوز بهذه البطولات”.

The result ends England’s hopes of a first World Cup triumph since 1966 and sends Argentina to another final, with Messi and his team now one win away from retaining their world title. Tuchel, meanwhile, faces intense scrutiny over whether his late defensive gamble cost England their greatest chance in a generation.