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Harry Kane has confessed to feeling “empty” after England were knocked out of the World Cup at the semi-final stage following a dramatic 2-1 loss to Argentina. The Three Lions captain expressed his heartbreak publicly as the nation’s six-decade quest for a major international trophy continues.

Heartbreak in the semi-final

England’s hopes of reaching their first World Cup final since 1966 came to a devastating end when Argentina mounted a late comeback. Anthony Gordon had put the Three Lions ahead early in the second half after converting a Morgan Rogers cross, but late strikes from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez turned the match around in Argentina’s favour.

The defeat has deeply affected the England camp, especially captain Kane. The Bayern Munich forward released an emotional statement to supporters and teammates as he reflected on another near miss on the world stage.

Kane’s emotional message

In a heartfelt post shared on his social media, Kane opened up about the pain of England’s 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 seven 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 eight years now but again are missing that final piece of the jigsaw!”

The England skipper, who remains the country’s all-time top goalscorer, stressed the need for continued progress if the team is to convert potential into triumph. “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.

A message of determination

At 32, speculation has emerged over whether this might have been Kane’s last opportunity to lift the World Cup. However, his statement made clear his intention to keep pushing towards future success, underlining the resilience needed to compete at the highest level.

“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 keep pushing,” Kane said. He concluded by thanking England’s supporters: “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!”

One match still to come

Despite the heartbreak of the semi-final defeat, England’s World Cup journey is not quite over, as they will face France in Saturday’s third-place play-off.

Following the loss, England head coach Thomas Tuchel acknowledged the challenge of motivating his players for the fixture. “None of our players and none of the French players want to play this match,” Tuchel admitted. “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.”