Burn Reveals Reasons for England's Defeat to Argentina

England defender Dan Burn expressed his deep sadness following the team's 2-1 loss to Argentina in the 2026 World Cup semi-final, insisting that the squad was very close to reaching the final.

Burn spoke to BBC Sport, saying: "We feel a great deal of frustration. I think we executed the game plan well for most of its periods, but after we scored the goal, we became more negative and fell back, and in the end, we were punished for that."

He added: "We conceded a large number of chances, and when you allow a team like Argentina that many opportunities, it's natural for them to score goals. It's disappointing for us because we defended better in previous matches and managed to maintain our lead. When you get this close to the World Cup final, it’s very painful."

Discussing the reason behind the shift in the match after England took the lead, Burn stated: "This is part of human nature as well. We know how good our defense is at holding onto leads in previous matches, and this happens with most teams when they go ahead in the score."

When asked what England needs to clinch the title, he said: "I wish I had the answer. I am very proud of what we have achieved in this tournament. Honestly, I thought we would do it. I had that feeling that we had something special."

He concluded his remarks by saying: "The differences at this level of football are very small. Argentina has been through these situations before and succeeded, and perhaps that was evident in the critical moments of the match."