JAKARTA - Harry Kane said it was too early to decide whether the 2026 edition would be his last World Cup with the England National Team (Timnas).
He added that the 1-2 defeat in the 2026 World Cup semi-final against Argentina on Thursday, July 16, 2026, was a story similar to past failures.
In fact, England took the lead against Argentina in the 55th minute through Anthony Gordon, but then switched to a more defensive formation, which led Argentina to get more time to control the ball and they managed to equalize in the 85th minute through Enzo Fernandez.
Then two minutes into injury time, Lautaro Martinez scored the winning goal with a header taking advantage of Lionel Messi's cross.
"This is a story similar to what happened in the previous tournament, in my opinion. We managed to control the momentum of the game very well for 60 minutes, we scored and were ahead."
"Then because of this and that, we had difficulty controlling the ball, we had difficulty putting pressure on the ball. That allowed them to create more momentum and create more attacks in our final third of the field."
"It's a normal mindset to try to defend and maintain a one-goal lead, but you know, there's still 20 minutes to go."
"So there will be enough time (for Argentina to score). We have to watch the game again and find out exactly how we can improve in those situations, but that's probably the missing part over the last four tournaments," Kane said after the game.
Kane led England to the 2018 World Cup, where they lost in the semifinals. Then, he led England to the 2021 Euro final, and to the 2022 World Cup quarterfinal.
England then reached the Euro final again two years later, which they lost to Spain.
Kane will be 36 when the next World Cup takes place in 2030. He also said it was too early to say whether the 2026 edition would be his last World Cup with England or not.
"Again, it's too early to talk about it. I'm handling it well. Year after year, the England national team is my pride and joy."
"That's what I like the most. Obviously four years is a long time, I'm 33 this summer, but Leo's (Messi) career there never ends, he's still playing at the highest level."
"I never want to limit these things. I will overcome the situation that arises, but for now, it's just about processing a heavy defeat," Kane said.
Apart from that, Dan Burn, the English defender, said the team was too passive in the final stages of the game. When England was 1-0 up, Tuchel brought in Ezri Konsa to replace Anthony Gordon, Nico O'Reilly to replace Declan Rice, and Burn to replace Reece James.
The change saw England switch to a back five. From there, Argentina had the time and momentum to score the equaliser and the winner.
"It's very disappointing. I thought we executed the game plan pretty well for most of the game."
"However, obviously, when we scored, we became a little passive and careless, and were eventually punished for it. We probably gave too many chances to the opponent. If you do that, they will score."
"Disappointing from us. We've played better defensively and finished the game well. When you're that close to a World Cup final, it hurts," Burn told the BBC.
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