Harry Kane Makes Lionel Messi Admission After Argentina Crush England's World Cup Dream

Harry Kane admitted that England have once again been left searching for answers after surrendering a one-goal lead in a painful 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup semi-final.

England looked on course to end the holders' reign after taking a deserved lead and controlling much of the contest, only for Argentina to turn the game around in the closing stages and book their place in the final against Spain.

For captain Kane, the defeat carried an all-too-familiar feeling.

"It was a similar story to what's happened in previous tournaments," he said in his post-match interview. "We struggled to keep the momentum of the game. We'd done so well for around 60 minutes; we deserved to be ahead, but then, for one reason or another, we struggled to keep the ball and put pressure on it. That allowed them to build momentum and create more attacks in our final third."

Kane admitted England instinctively tried to protect their advantage but felt that approach ultimately proved costly.

"It's a normal mindset to try and hang on to a one-goal lead, but there were still more than 20 minutes to play. We'll have to watch the game back and understand exactly how we can improve in those situations. It's probably been the missing piece for us over the last four or five tournaments."

Asked whether England's tactical switch contributed to the turnaround, Kane refused to point fingers.

"It's not the time to talk about that," he said. "Those discussions always happen when results don't go your way. We wanted more pressure in the wide areas with the back five and another player to defend crosses, but we still couldn't get enough pressure on them. Whenever we won the ball back, we didn't keep it well enough. We win together and we lose together."

The Bayern Munich striker also spoke of the devastation inside England's dressing room.

"There's not much to say. Everyone has to process what's happened. Everyone's gutted, the players, the staff and everyone behind the scenes because we know how much work goes into representing England. When you're only 10 or 15 minutes from a World Cup final and it slips away, it's devastating."

Kane reserved a heartfelt message for England's supporters, thanking those who travelled and those watching back home.

"The support has been incredible throughout the tournament. We're devastated for the fans because we know how much this means to them. We gave everything, every last bit of blood, sweat and tears, to try and give them something to celebrate, but in the end we fell short."

The England captain also praised Lionel Messi's decisive influence, despite long spells where England contained him.

"For large parts of the game we dealt with him really well, but the greatest players only need one moment. He's one of the best players ever for a reason. Once we gave Argentina more space in those final stages, not just Messi but the rest of their attacking players grew into the game, and it became too much for us."

Defender Dan Burn echoed Kane's disappointment, believing England executed their plan well until conceding control after taking the lead.

"It hurts," Burn admitted. "I thought we nailed the game plan up until we scored. We knew what Argentina were going to do, and I thought we handled it well. But after the goal we became a little passive, defended too deep and conceded too many crosses. It started to feel like it was only a matter of time."

Although he was disappointed by the result, Burn refused to criticise Thomas Tuchel's tactical decisions.

"We've used that back five in previous games and defended well with it, so I don't think it's fair to place all the blame there," he said. "As players, we have to take responsibility as well. We were only 10 or 15 minutes from a World Cup final, and we probably should have seen it through."

Reflecting on his first World Cup campaign, Burn admitted the defeat overshadowed what had otherwise been a memorable tournament.

"I'm gutted right now, but I'm proud of what this team has done. Not many people gave us a chance before the tournament. The brotherhood within this group has carried us a long way. I genuinely believed this was our time, but Argentina showed why they're world champions."

Burn described the atmosphere after full-time as one of shock, with England struggling to come to terms with the collapse.

"It was a mixture of shock and emotion. I still feel pretty numb. I was so confident we were going to see it out. There were people upset in the dressing room, but not much was said. It's something we'll have to process over the next few days."

England must now regroup for the third-place play-off, while Argentina prepare to face Spain with the World Cup title on the line.