ATLANTA, United States, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Thomas Tuchel said Argentina's nothing-to-lose mentality after falling behind proved decisive as the reigning champion recovered from a goal down to beat England 2-1 on Wednesday.
Anthony Gordon had given England the lead before Enzo Fernandez equalized in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martinez struck seven minutes later to send Argentina into Sunday's final against Spain.
"We took the lead and I think it was deserved. Unfortunately it marked a complete momentum shift," the England manager told a post-match news conference. "Argentina played with more risk and rhythm, they had nothing to lose and that freed them up."
Tuchel said England's collapse stemmed from its inability to deal with Argentina's pressure once the momentum turned.
"We dropped back into a deep block, we struggled to defend crosses, it was difficult to win duels, ball possession and couldn't get the momentum back and they took the advantage and won the game," he said.
"We weren't active enough, we didn't find duels, we struggled to defend the crosses. The positioning in the box was better but we weren't able to stop the runners into the box. We struggled to stay active and get ball possession to escape the pressure and turn the momentum around. I tried to solve it from the sideline. I'm sad and upset for the players because we were close."
The German described the match as two distinct contests separated by Gordon's 55th-minute strike.
"I think it was a totally even game. The story is always told from the back. If you saw the last half hour, it's Argentina. If you see the first 55 minutes, we deserved to be up. It was like two different matches," Tuchel said. "But the bigger the game, the harder it is when you lose. We gave our all and we respected the opponent."
Tuchel, who made several defensive substitutions late in the match in an attempt to protect the lead, said he was prepared to face scrutiny over those decisions.
"I just believe that's the nature of the game. When you lose you get criticized, that's the way it is," he said. "No one knows what might have happened if we made different decisions. I took those decisions and now I'll take the criticism."
England will turn its focus to Saturday's third-place playoff against France in Miami. Tuchel said the team would treat the match with professionalism despite the disappointment of missing out on the final.
"There's still a match to play which we're not really looking forward to," he said, adding that he planned to see out the remainder of his contract, which runs until 2028. ■
