Thomas Tuchel expressed pride in England’s players following their exhilarating 6-4 triumph over France, which marked the nation’s first third-place finish at the World Cup.
England surged ahead to a commanding 4-0 lead by halftime, with goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and two from Bukayo Saka. However, they faced a challenge when Didier Deschamps, in his final game as France’s manager, made tactical adjustments during the break. Kylian Mbappé, looking to secure a second consecutive Golden Boot, added to his tournament tally, bringing his total World Cup goals to 22 and surpassing Lionel Messi’s record. Messi, however, has the opportunity to reclaim the spotlight in the upcoming final against Spain.
Saka later completed his hat-trick, but Ousmane Dembélé’s injury-time goal brought France within one at 5-4 before Jude Bellingham sealed the game with his seventh tournament goal—the highest by an England player in World Cup history.
Just minutes away from reaching their first World Cup final on foreign soil, England’s hopes were dashed by Messi’s late-game heroics in Atlanta on Wednesday. Tuchel, who received mixed reactions from fans during the pre-match introduction, emphasized the need for England to bridge the gap with the elite teams. After securing victory against the reigning world champions, he urged his squad to continue their development, starting with their Nations League clash 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 stated. “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.”
He also revealed that Jordan Henderson’s pre-match address significantly influenced the team’s mindset.
“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.”
Tuchel’s assistant, Anthony Barry, offered a heartfelt halftime interview while England led 4-0, expressing astonishment at the performance, given the emotional weight of the game.
“playing a game with broken hearts” he remarked. “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, shared his disappointment about his limited role.
“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 admitted. “Of course I would love to have played more but it’s too late to talk about that,”
“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.”
“I could have changed eight of them at half-time,” he joked regarding his team’s lackluster first half. “It is the end of a journey that has represented the most beautiful period of my life. I always put the French team first. You can be called by the best clubs in the world but there is nothing above this national team. We have faced the greatest moments and I’m hoping for the team to reach new levels when I’m gone.”
