Harry Kane, the England national team player, felt deeply disappointed after his team conceded two late goals to lose to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday. The team captain said they tried to hold on after taking the lead, but it wasn't enough.

England took the lead through a goal from Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute, but came under immense pressure as Argentina pushed forward. Enzo Fernández scored the equalizer, and then Lautaro Martínez scored the winner in stoppage time.

Kane told the BBC: "We played a good game for most of it. Once we went 1-0 up, it seemed like we were just trying to hold on to the result."

He added: "At this level, that's not enough, so I'm very disappointed because we worked hard to be here, and the players gave everything – running, sweat, blood and tears, whatever it was – after the goal, whether it was because they pushed more players forward or because we couldn't match them in one-on-one marking, it was attack after attack and we were trying to hold on while building barriers. But in the end, it wasn't enough."

England have not reached a World Cup final since winning the title in 1966, and coach Thomas Tuchel's team came close but ultimately felt the same old sense of frustration.

Kane said: "The players are always ready for any moment in the match. When we took the lead, the message was to keep going and score another goal. Then obviously once they scored, the aim was to try and find something, but we couldn't regain the momentum in the game."

He added: "We've had many great moments in this tournament. Many great matches, and we've reached the semi-final again. We talk about being on the verge of winning the title. We are close, all we need is to find that missing piece in the final stages of the tournament. I feel very sorry for the players, very sorry for everyone – the team, the staff, and the fans."