Djed Spence's Argentina display was the pinnacle, but his World Cup proved everyone wrong

Djed Spence has certainly proved all of his doubters wrong with his performance against Argentina.

The Tottenham Hotspur man had one of the more difficulty jobs to do on the night, with none other than Lionel Messi drifting out to his side for a majority of the game.

At Tottenham Hotspur News, we covered the last time Spence played Messi and kept him quiet.

And while on this occasion Argentina's star man rose to the magnitude of the game with two assists, Spence still deserves all the plaudits.

His selection in Thomas Tuchel's squad was one of the biggest talking points heading into the competition.

Many criticised it and could not understand why he was on the plane, but he proved exactly why in North America.

Djed Spence proved why he was in Thomas Tuchel's squad in one moment

If there was ever one moment in the World Cup that vindicated Tuchel's Spence collection, it was in the 58th minute.

Spence produced perhaps one of the most critical pieces of defending so far for England in the tournament.

Using his pace, he raced back to deliver a perfect last-ditch tackle on Giuliano Simeone.

On BBC's coverage of the game, Paul Robinson described it as a the "tackle of the tournament."

Meanwhile, former Liverpool and two-time first division winner Ray Houghton said on RTE in Ireland: "That is absolutely world-class. He timed that to perfection."

Unfortunately for Spence, that moment would be nothing other than a highlight from the match, rather than a defining piece of defending.

Messi stood up tall and did what he did best, and sending Argentina to New York/New Jersey for the final.

Spence's World Cup is not quite over though, as as on 18 July, England will face off against France in the third place playoff, where Kylian Mbappe awaits.

Why Djed Spence can hold head high after Argentina display

Disappointment will be felt throughout the England camp but Spence can hold his head high.

Against the current World Cup holders, Spence was highly active defensively, he made five tackles winning four of those.

Additionally, he won seven out of his 13 ground duels. Going forward, he made 10 carries, with three of those progressive.

But of course that last ditch tackle was the standout moment, and one that at the time looked to be crucial as England looked to reach the final.

Nonetheless, for those that questioned his selection, they were made to eat their words. Apologies should start now.