England's Self-Destruction? Zeman Baffled, Borbély Went Further, Hinting at Tuchel's Dismissal

It was a match that will be remembered for a long time. The semi-final clash between England and Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered another epic battle between two great rivals.

For a very long time, it seemed England was heading to their first World Cup final in six decades. However, a dramatic Argentine comeback began in the 85th minute. This wasn't entirely out of the blue; England's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and the woodwork had already saved them on several occasions.

After Anthony Gordon opened the scoring in the 55th minute, England made substitutions and reshuffled their formation. The result was that the birthplace of football began desperately defending their slender lead.

The complete tactical shift by the English team became a major talking point during the match and resonated strongly even after the final whistle.

"What happened after the English goal? For me, it was a huge disappointment," struggled Marián Zeman, STVR co-commentator, former Slovak international, and coach, to explain what spectators witnessed in the final half-hour of the game.

His words were primarily directed at the German coach of the English national team, Thomas Tuchel.

"This is unforgivable. It was a total disregard for the football they had been playing until then, a complete change. Absolutely inactive pressing, retreating into their own penalty area, and after the substitutions, a complete disorganization of defensive play," Zeman shook his head in disbelief.

Conversely, he praised Argentina, who were sent to the final by a goal from substitute Lautaro Martinez after a pinpoint cross from Lionel Messi in the second minute of added time.

"That team is incredibly stable, confident, and has turned around difficult matches several times. For me, the best part was their reaction after the score became 1-1; they continued with the same approach and absolutely deserved to see this match through to a victorious end. The final will be a celebration of football," Zeman declared.

England's collapse was also analyzed by guests in the STVR studio.

"Argentina can instantly change their game model based on the result and favorable or unfavorable circumstances. They demonstrated this after conceding a goal, but they were greatly aided by the intervention of England's coach Tuchel, who, with his changes in the last fifteen minutes, completely destroyed his own team's identity. They shifted into a deep block, which is not characteristic of them," said Ladislav Borbély.

He also pointed out the surprising fact that despite the overload of center-backs after England's substitutions, the Argentinians were still getting into clear-cut chances from crosses. He then returned to Tuchel.

"It was such a fatal intervention that I wouldn't be surprised if it had existential consequences for him," Borbély stated.

"What the English did, the Spanish certainly wouldn't have done. When they score a goal, they don't retreat; they continue to play their game. That's the difference between the best teams," added former international Vratislav Greško, who also played in the British Isles for Blackburn Rovers.