The hits just keep on coming for England after their devastating World Cup exit.
The Three Lions were on track to reach their first World Cup final in 60 years after Anthony Gordon’s goal gave them a 1-0 lead until disaster struck in the 85th minute of their semifinal against Argentina.
Enzo Hernandez equalized with an all-world strike from outside the box, before Lautaro Martinez gave Argentina the lead in stoppage time, heading in a perfect right-footed cross from Lionel Messi.
England manager Thomas Tuchel came under fire for bringing on Dan Burn and shifting to a defensive back five, allowing Argentina to press hard in the closing stages.
Conceding two goals in two minutes to get eliminated without even going to extra time or penalties — it could not have been a more brutal and heartbreaking exit.
While Messi’s interaction with Jude Bellingham suggests the England young gun foolishly poked the bear, a post-match scene has shed more light on England’s heartbreak.
After the game, Messi and his Argentina teammates were seen looking at the water bottle left behind on the pitch by England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Taped to the bottle was a list of instructions for every Argentina player for a potential penalty shootout, a common tactic used by goalkeepers.
According to an image shared by football transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano, the cheat sheet said “Messi: fake left, dive right”, “Alvarez: dive left” and “Mac Allister: dive right.”
Messi looked somewhat puzzled after closely inspecting the water bottle notes with his teammates, who had a chuckle.
The 39-year-old has missed a couple of penalties in this World Cup campaign but is still tied with Kylian Mbappe for the most goals in the tournament with eight.
Unfortunately for England, their heart got ripped out so abruptly that Pickford was not required to consult his water bottle and it was left at Atlanta Stadium along with England’s hopes of winning the World Cup.
Argentina will take on Spain in the final in New Jersey at 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
If they win, Messi’s men will equal Germany and Italy with four World Cup titles and become just the third back-to-back champions.
