Henry and Ibrahimović slam Tuchel's defensive switch as Argentina stun England in Atlanta

Argentina overturned a one-goal deficit to eliminate England 2-1 in Atlanta on Wednesday, with Enzo Fernández equalising in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martínez scoring the winner two minutes into extra time — and two of football’s most recognisable pundits placed much of the blame squarely on England head coach Thomas Tuchel.

Anthony Gordon had given England the lead in the 55th minute, meeting Morgan Rogers’ cross at the far post and placing it into the bottom corner. But Tuchel’s subsequent substitutions drew sharp criticism. Gordon was withdrawn for defender Ezri Konsa in the 72nd minute, and ten minutes later Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly replaced Declan Rice and an apparently injured Reece James, shifting England into a deeper, more defensive shape.

“Thomas Tuchel, what he did wasn’t bad,” Thierry Henry said. “They just did it too early.” Zlatan Ibrahimović was more blunt: “England stopped playing.”

Henry elaborated on the tactical shift, arguing that England’s decision to sit back handed Argentina exactly the invitation they needed. “I think that England went into a back five too early for my liking, giving them the ball,” he said. “They thought they had to defend the lead a tiny bit too early. After that, if you’re Argentina, you’re going to throw strikers and put them in the box.”

The statistics underlined the point. England finished the match with just five shots — two on target — compared to Argentina’s 15, five of which were on target. England managed only seven touches inside Argentina’s 18-yard box; Argentina had 28.

Henry also highlighted the specific tactical adjustment made by Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni, who had deployed Lionel Messi in a similar fashion in earlier rounds against Switzerland and Egypt. “He put Messi on the right — not in the middle, into traffic. They attracted him to the right of the opposition, to give him the ball in a one-on-one situation to go back to his left and cross,” Henry explained. “So what I’m saying is, they’re the world champion for a reason.”

A potential turning point came in the 76th minute when Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister struck the post with a long-range effort, moments after Jordan Pickford had produced two impressive saves to keep England level. The reprieve proved temporary, as Argentina’s relentless pressure eventually told in the closing stages.

It was another late comeback for the reigning champions, who had also required extra time against Cape Verde and Switzerland earlier in the tournament, and had trailed Egypt 2-0 with 15 minutes remaining in the round of 16.