Harry Kane calls for England talks after painful World Cup semi-final exit

Harry Kane has called for England's players to examine why they struggle to reproduce their usual approach in the decisive stages of major tournaments, saying the World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina was his most painful international exit. In comments reported by the Guardian, the captain said the squad still needed to work through the disappointment.

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England lost 2-1 after taking the lead in the 55th minute, with the Guardian reporting that they subsequently saw little of the ball. Kane said the manner of the defeat was especially difficult to accept because the team had moved away from the identity and beliefs it had intended to maintain.

The striker ranked the experience as more painful than England's quarter-final elimination by France at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when he missed a penalty in another 2-1 defeat. He said each of the team's near misses had hurt differently, but the way the Argentina match unfolded made this setback particularly hard to process.

Kane said England needed group discussions about why the intensity and style shown during qualifying and earlier tournament matches had not consistently carried into encounters with stronger opponents late in competitions. He suggested personality, mentality and the team's intended approach could all be factors, without identifying a single explanation. He also acknowledged that England had fallen below their potential in other matches at the World Cup.

Thomas Tuchel's message to the squad at St George's Park on Tuesday was to refine the work already under way, according to Kane. The captain said the response should be a continuation of that development rather than a complete restart, arguing that England had also done plenty well. He described the challenge as learning from the disappointment while continuing to compete.

Kane also backed Declan Rice following the midfielder's withdrawal from the Nations League squad for load-management reasons. The Guardian reported that Rice had been dealing with hamstring nerve pain. Kane said Rice had contacted him and that he trusted his teammates to look after themselves. Cole Palmer, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Tino Livramento have also withdrawn from Tuchel's squad.