England’s players have much to be proud of following their exhilarating 6-4 triumph over France, securing third place at the World Cup for the first time in history, according to Thomas Tuchel.
With a commanding 4-0 lead at halftime, thanks to goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and a brace from Bukayo Saka, England appeared to be in control. However, Didier Deschamps, in his final match as France’s manager after 14 years, made tactical changes at the break. Kylian Mbappé scored, bringing his tournament total to 10 goals and 22 in World Cup history, as he aims for a second consecutive Golden Boot, surpassing Lionel Messi’s all-time record. Messi will have an opportunity to reclaim the record in the final against Spain on Sunday.
Saka completed his hat-trick before Ousmane Dembélé narrowed the gap to 5-4 during injury time, leaving Jude Bellingham to seal the victory with his seventh goal of the tournament, the most by an England player in World Cup history.
Just five minutes from making their first World Cup final appearance on foreign soil, England’s hopes were dashed when Messi led a late comeback for the reigning champions in Atlanta on Wednesday. Tuchel, who faced booing from some fans when his name was announced before kickoff, emphasized the need for England to bridge the gap with the world’s top teams. Having managed to secure the win against the 2018 world champions, he has urged his players to continue their development, starting with their Nations League match against Spain at Wembley on September 26.
“This game will help us for sure – even if you can never fully celebrate a bronze medal,” Tuchel remarked. “It’s the first [World Cup] medal for 60 years, first [at a] World Cup on foreign soil, and I hope the players can be proud of that at some point. We set ourselves the highest dream to chase, and we were very, very ambitious with our dream to make the final in the World Cup. So it’s very, very painful if you miss out, the pain will stay for a while.”
Tuchel disclosed that Jordan Henderson had delivered a motivating speech before the match that helped the team gain perspective on their achievement. “He put us in the right frame of mind, with everyone in one mindset. It was unbelievable because today was very emotional. We built something very special in the last seven weeks, and we’ll never negotiate on that. I still stand by my words, that we need to play better football, manage games better under pressure, take better decisions under pressure. We need to defend more economically.”
During halftime, Tuchel’s assistant, Anthony Barry, expressed his pride in the team’s performance despite their emotional circumstances. “playing a game with broken hearts” he shared with the BBC. “The cynics will say it’s too late but we still play against a world-class opponent and I’m so proud of the boys,”
Saka, who did not play in the match against Argentina, expressed his disappointment at not being more involved. “There’s 45 minutes to go. The game’s not done. Anything can happen. But I’m proud of the team and I hope everyone is as well at home.” he stated. “I try to do my talking on the pitch and it’s done now – let’s move on.
“Of course I would love to have played more but it’s too late to talk about that,”
Zinedine Zidane is expected to succeed Deschamps, who became only the third individual to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager. He announced his departure with no regrets after leading the team to the finals in 2018 and 2022.
“I try to do my talking on the pitch and it’s done now – let’s move on. “We fell short against Argentina. It hurts a lot. I’m sure it’s the same for the fans back home. We have to hold our heads high and move on. Obviously we’re both quite disappointed to not be in the final but it was about finishing strong and for us giving the country the best position in the World Cup they have finished for 60 years, so we’re happy with the final result.” he joked about his team’s first-half performance. “I could have changed eight of them at half-time,”
