Prince of Wales among 'gutted' supporters as England knocked out of World Cup | OneFootball

The Three Lions were defeated 2-1 by Argentina in their semi-final in Atlanta

The Prince of Wales has said he is “gutted” after England were knocked out of the World Cup.

The Three Lions were defeated 2-1 by Argentina in their semi-final in Atlanta.

“Gutted. England, you gave it everything and we are all so proud of you,” William wrote on Instagram.

Outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also paid tribute to England’s “passion” and “energy” following the loss.

England's Jude Bellingham cut a dejected figure at full time

PA

The Prince of Wales posted on Instagram

Instagram

“Gutted,” the Prime Minister wrote on X.

“Tonight wasn’t the result we all hoped for, but this England team has given it their all. The passion and energy they’ve shown representing the badge has made us all proud.”

England took the lead through Anthony Gordon’s strike in the 55th minute after a superb cross from Morgan Rogers.

However, Argentina came back to equalise through Enzo Fernandez’ superb strike from outside the box.

They then took the lead in the third minute of injury time when Lauturo Martinez headed in from Lionel Messi’s cross.

Deflated England fans were heavily critical of manager Thomas Tuchel’s tactics outside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta after the defeat.

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was tearful following the result

PA

The England squad thanked their fans in Atlanta

AFP/Getty

Ben Harper, 32, from Stoke-on-Trent, said: “First half was cagey – it was the most tense half of football I’ve seen in a long time.

“Second half we nicked the goal and I thought OK, we’ve got the momentum.

“Then, nothing. Negative substitutions, defensive players come on and you’re thinking OK, against Mexico with 10 men at the altitude, fair enough.

“To then think 30 minutes in this stadium against the best team in the tournament for making comebacks, the best strategy is to sit back.

“Then they scored and it went 1-1, you’re thinking to yourself, the momentum is in their favour – what have we got? What are we going to do?

“We’ve reduced our attacking outlets, we haven’t got many options – I think that was a tactical disaster honestly.”

Harris Malhi, 31, who watched the game at Boxpark in Wembley, north London, said: “I feel annoyed, to be honest.

“I feel a bit disappointed, but I can take a step back, look at the bigger picture and be grateful for the World Cup that we’ve had. I still think semi-final overall is a good moment.

“Tuchel stays, he’s got the contract to stay, doesn’t he? I think hopefully he’ll learn from this, the players will learn from this.

“Either you can play not to lose or you can play to win, and we probably played not to lose a bit too early, to be honest. I think we went defensive slightly too early. That’s frustrating.

“But, you know, they’re world champions. They’ve got world-class players.”

One England fan said he was “so upset” after the Three Lions’ loss to Argentina, saying the team had not “shown up”.

Harry Fine, from London, said: “Miami in the quarters, the semis here against Argentina – we haven’t shown up.

“What are we doing? What are we doing? Harry Kane the last two games – I love him and I’m an Arsenal fan, I want him to do everything for our country. Where were you Harry?

“I’m so upset. I’m so upset. I want to say it’s rigged but it’s not. We bottled it.”

Asked if he thought England had the opportunity to go all the way, he said: “Yes. It was ours.”