Four England passes in 19 minutes before Argentina winner: damning numbers behind collapse

England’s collapse after taking the lead against Argentina in the World Cup semi-final is highlighted by match-possession and passing metrics showing the team’s defensive fragility. OptaJoe reported England had only 12% possession in the 30 minutes between Anthony Gordon’s goal and Argentina’s equaliser, the lowest such figure by a winning team in at least 10 minutes in a World Cup match in the last 60 years. After Ezri Konsa replaced Gordon, England shifted to a 5-4-1 shape, limiting their breakaway pace. Over the 19 minutes between Konsa’s introduction and the winning goal, England attempted 11 passes, completing just four. The goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, accounted for five of seven unsuccessful passes in that spell.