'Again missing final piece of the jigsaw' - Harry Kane left with 'empty feeling' after England's World Cup exit as he releases emotional statement

England’s dreams of reaching a first World Cup final since 1966 were dashed in dramatic fashion as Argentina staged a late comeback to secure a 2-1 victory. Despite Anthony Gordon giving the Three Lions the lead early in the second half after connecting with a Morgan Rogers cross, late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez turned the contest on its head.

The defeat has left the squad reeling, particularly captain Kane. The Bayern Munich striker released an emotional statement addressing the fans and his teammates as he processed another near-miss on the international stage.

Writing on his social media channels, Kane was candid about the pain of the exit. “No words are big enough right now to overcome this empty feeling in the stomach,” he wrote. “We were close, really close to another final, but it wasn’t enough. We’ve given everything over these last 7 weeks, and to fall short is hard to take! I know the expectations are high and rightly so; we’ve been knocking on the door for 8 years now but again are missing that final piece of the jigsaw!”

The striker, who is England's all-time leading goalscorer, emphasised that the team must find a way to bridge the gap between being contenders and winners. “That’s where we have to go away, process it and find a way to get better. I’m so proud of the boys and what we have shown throughout this tournament – some tough games and tough environments that we have overcome,” he added.

At 32 years of age, questions have been raised regarding whether this was Kane’s final chance to lift the World Cup. However, his statement suggested a determination to continue building toward future success, specifically highlighting the resilience required to succeed at the highest level of the game.

“Going for glory doesn’t always mean you will get it. You have to fight for it, get knocked down, pick yourself up and go again, and that’s what we will do; there’s no other way but to keep believing and keeping pushing,” Kane stated. He concluded his message by thanking the England faithful: “Thank you to every single fan that travelled and showed their support in the stadiums. Thank you to every fan back home for believing in us. Thank you to the boys and staff for everything you have given. As always, win or lose, we learn and go again!”

While the disappointment of the semi-final exit will take time to heal, England's tournament is not yet officially over, with the squad set to face France in Saturday's third-place play-off.

Speaking after the defeat, England head coach Thomas Tuchel acknowledged the difficulty of preparing for a match neither side will have wanted to play. "None of our players and none of the French players want to play this match," Tuchel told reporters. "They want to play the final. We gave everything to achieve that. Everyone plays to win the World Cup, but that's how it is. We have one less day of recovery than France, but we will do it with professionalism."