By OkayGoal
English football, both men’s and women’s, has enjoyed a resurrection over the last decade. The Lionesses have won back-to-back European Championships, firstly defeating Germany on home turf in 2022 before upsetting Spain in Switzerland three years later, with a World Cup final sandwiched in between. The Three Lions, meanwhile, have reached a pair of World Cup finals and two European Championship finals since 2018.
But there is one big difference, though. The women have won the majority of their big games, coming from behind on numerous occasions to do so. The men, however, have lost them. All of them. In heartbreaking fashion.
OH. MY. GOD.
Argentina take the lead in stoppage time 😱
England is stunned. 😳 pic.twitter.com/hw2O9mKq8v
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) July 15, 2026
England’s Men Fail To Follow in Women’s Footsteps
The men’s most recent heartbreak came at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. Thomas Tuchel’s side faced Argentina in the semifinals in Atlanta, and online betting sites actually favored them to get the win. The Bovada sports betting odds heading into the clash listed them as a 6/4 shot, with the defending champions out at 2/1. And it seemed those odds were correct when Anthony Gordon gave England a 55th-minute lead.
Then, the inevitable happened. England sat on their own 18-yard box as they looked to see out a 1-0 lead. Lionel Messi then took over, assisting both Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez, who struck twice in seven minutes to seal a stunning comeback win. It’s a feeling that England’s women have never had to endure.
At Euro 2025, Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses were the ones coming back from the dead. They rallied in all three of their knockout round games, conceding first in each of them before going on to win. First, a two-goal comeback against Sweden, then a last-gasp equalizer and penalty shootout win against Italy, before another equalizer and penalty win in the final against the much-fancied Spain. So, why the difference? Let’s find out.
The Lionesses Have No Shortage of Leaders
The Lionesses’ breakthrough success at the Women’s Euro 2022 tournament was built on leaders in defense. Both full back Lucy Bronze and center back Millie Bright had over 50 caps heading into the tournament, with the former actually just shy of becoming a centurion. Captain Leah Williamson had emerged as a true leader, also securing the captain’s armband despite featuring just 30 times prior to the competition getting underway. And it was the skipper’s partnership alongside fellow leader Bright at the heart of the defense that all of England’s success was built upon.
Wiegman’s side didn’t concede a single goal throughout the group stage. They then kept their cool to come back against a highly rated Spain side in the Round of 16 before handily dispatching Sweden 4-0 in the semifinals. In the final against Germany, the calmness displayed in defense ensured that England didn’t panic when the Germans took the lead at Wembley, and it was that calmness under pressure that laid the foundations for yet another comeback.
For the men’s team, there is no such leadership. This summer, manager Thomas Tuchel didn’t know who his two best defenders were. John Stones is incredibly experienced but was coming off the back of an injury-hit couple of years, while neither Marc Guehi nor Ezri Konsa has a wealth of experience at international level.
When the Three Lions needed that calmness against Argentina in their recent World Cup semifinal, it was nowhere to be found. As a result, England repeatedly gave the ball away, and in the end, they were punished for it, conceding two goals in the final five minutes to lose 2-1.
Comfort With Being the “Efficient Underdog”
One of the most telling numbers from the Women’s Euro 2025 final is that the heavily fancied Spain had 65% possession and 22 shots to England’s eight — and still lost. Those stats reflect a team that has made peace with not controlling games and instead treats moments, rather than territory, as the currency that decides finals.
England didn’t panic when being outplayed for long stretches because being outplayed for long stretches has become part of their expected route to winning: soak up pressure, stay in the fight, strike or survive when it matters. And strike they did. Alessia Russo found a second-half equalizer, and the Lionesses then continued to sensibly soak up the Spanish pressure, repeatedly attempting to break out before ultimately forcing a penalty shootout.
England’s men, when matches slip away from them late, don’t appear to have that same fallback gear. That ability to stay in the fight.
Against Argentina, the Three Lions resorted to their default setting as soon as they scored, retreating to the edge of their penalty area and simply looking to cling on. While the Lionesses are no strangers to soaking up pressure, they do so efficiently and at least look to string passes together and break on the counterattack when the chance arrives. Tuchel’s men showed no such intent.
Once Messi’s side wrestled control back in the final ten minutes, England had no clear “smaller version of ourselves” mode to retreat into — no sense of accepting reduced control while still trusting the group to hold firm. The collapse came not from being outplayed exactly, but from not having practiced what to do once outplayed. From that moment on, disaster was always going to strike, and eventually it did in painful fashion.