Former Super Eagles striker Brown Ideye has criticised England manager Thomas Tuchel for the Three Lions' dramatic 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup, accusing the German of costing his side a place in the final with overly defensive tactics.
England appeared destined for their first men's World Cup final since lifting the trophy in 1966 after Anthony Gordon gave them the lead in the 55th minute of the semi-final in Atlanta.
However, Argentina staged a remarkable late comeback as Enzo Fernández equalised five minutes from time before Lautaro MartÃnez headed home Lionel Messi's cross in stoppage time to seal a 2-1 victory and set up a final against Spain.
Reacting to England's collapse, Ideye argued that Tuchel surrendered the initiative by making defensive substitutions instead of pushing for a second goal.
"I am just upset because Thomas Tuchel finished the game. He destroyed the game and the team," Ideye said while on punditry duty for Sporty TV.
"He had Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney on the bench but brought on defenders. You have to keep playing when you are one goal up.
"He started defending from the 72nd minute, and you can't do that against a team like Argentina, who keep the ball and always look for Messi. It's sad for them to go out like this."
After Gordon's opener, Argentina dominated possession and created a series of chances. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford produced an outstanding reflex save to deny Nico González, while Alexis Mac Allister struck the woodwork before Fernández finally levelled the score with a superb long-range effort.
Tuchel responded by reinforcing his defence, but Argentina continued to control the game. Mac Allister hit the post again before MartÃnez completed the comeback in the 92nd minute, heading in Messi's pinpoint cross to send the reigning world champions into another World Cup final.
England will now face France in Saturday's third-place playoff, while Argentina will take on Spain in Sunday's World Cup final.
