From hope to heartbreak: England denied by Argentina's late surge

ATLANTA, July 16 : The dream died on a summer night, as it has so many times before, not with a bang but with the familiar aching silence that settles over England after the final whistle of a World Cup defeat. England's dream of reaching a first World Cup final since 1966 was shattered as holders Argentina scored twice in the closing stages to snatch a 2-1 semi-final victory on Wednesday. The players sank to the grass. Their supporters stood frozen in the stands, scarves draped around shoulders that had carried expectation for a month.And so England's latest pursuit of the one prize that continues to define their footballing identity came to an end - not in triumph, but in the cruel space between possibility and achievement. Again. England must now regroup for Saturday's third-place match