Devastated England fans have been left in tears after two dramatic late goals from Argentina saw the Three Lions' World Cup finals hopes come crashing down22:52, 15 Jul 2026Updated 23:17, 15 Jul 2026England crashed out of the World Cup in absolutely heartbreaking fashion. Two dramatic late goals from Argentina saw the Three Lions World Cup dreams end in a flood of tears. Despite going ahead in a dramatic semi-final, England came up short again. Both goals were scored in the last few minutes of the semi-final‌At the end the England players slumped to the pitch devastated by the defeat. They were so close yet so far to the World Cup final in New York on Sunday. Three Lions fans stood stunned with their heads in their hands scarcely believing what they had just witnessed.‌‌Despite being roared on by a 10,000 strong army of fans they were beaten 2-1 by Lionel Messi’s side. Mick Jagger, David Beckham and wife Victoria were in the crowd cheering England on. But were left devastated by the result.England super fan Clive Heathcock, 69, from Crewe has been a Crewe Alexandra season ticket holder since 1977. He said: “To lose like that is just desperately sad. The lads did so well to get to the semi final. We may have fallen at the final hurdle but they’ve been brilliant all tournament. It’s just such a shame we couldn’t hold out until the end.”‌Lionel Messi sought out Harry Kane and gave him a huge hug.. There was an extraordinary and febrile atmosphere inside the magnificent air-conditioned stadium throughout.England fans were far outnumbered by Argentinians. Some of the opposition fans wore shirts bearing the words “Hand of God” taunting Three Lions supporters about Diego Maradona’s controversial 1986 goal.But England fans more than held their own by chanting throughout the match roaring Harry Kane’s men on. They sang the national anthem with particular passion and it was greeted with a huge roar at the end despite sustained booing from the huge Argentine support.‌There were England flags from every corner of the country fixed to the fences inside. I saw the towns of Blackpool, Wigan, Runcorn, Reading, Waterlooville and Corby represented. One fan stood forlornly outside the stadium with a sign saying: “Came here from Swindon still looking for a ticket that costs less than a car.” He didn’t get lucky.‌Among the crowd were the O’Leary family from Harrow, north west London. Harry O’Leary, 16, was actually at his fifth major tournament. He was at the last World Cup semi-final in Moscow in 2018 when he was just eight-years-old with his mum and dad Ryan and Barbara.He must be the youngest England fan in history to have attended two World Cup semi-finals. The family, Queens Park Rangers fans, only flew in the day before the game.‌John Mills, 64, from Biddulph, near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs is a consultant and is the safeguarding manager for British Ice skating. He is travelling with his great pal Brian Jackson, 75, from Mansfield, Notts, who is a retired project manager."It’s been such a great tournament and there’s been some great games. We came over for all the group games and then returned to England - we just couldn’t afford to stay for the whole tournament." Beforehand they made a visit to Martin Luther King’s birthplace before the match. He said: “We always try and do something different and historic when we go to the cities which host England games.‌“Atlanta has always been associated with Martin Luther King. It’s been absolutely fascinating to see the house where he was born and the church where he preached. We’ve seen so many England fans here as well. Lots of us had the same idea.”Graham Christopher, 68, from Macclesfield, said: “There have only been four World Cup semi finals played. 1966, 1990, 2018 and here today. It’s a real privilege to be here.”‌The Three Lions supporters had patiently queued for an hour to get in then flooded onto the concourses three hours before kick off not wanting to miss a moment of the historic game. Back at home pubs were packed as 23 million fans watched the game in TV's highest audience for two years.One in three of the population tuned in to the BBC, with roads, railway stations and local supermarkets left deserted as the nation came to a halt. More than 14 million pints – six million more than normal – were drunk in boozers today. Another 16 million pints, seven million more than average, were downed at home.‌Most were sold out and turning away customers. The Old Leyland Gates pub in Leyland, Lancs, wrote on Facebook: “We were fully booked, with an electric atmosphere roaring on England.”Before the game I saw Argentina fans waiting to have their photos taken outside a traditional red English phone box situated on Andrew Young International Drive. Opposite England fans were queuing for a beer at a bar called Tin Lizzy’s.Article continues belowThe Atlanta pubs have done a roaring business and will miss the travelling fans. There were pockets of trouble before game. But the worst was when the Argentina fans turned on each other. Followers of Huracan and San Lorenzo fought amongst themselves. Police arrested three and they will appear in court next week.