England defeated France 6-4 in a thrilling third-place match on Sunday.
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England's campaign to win the World Cup for the first time in six decades was not complete this time either, but coach Thomas Tuchel believes that even coming in third place in the 2026 World Cup is a big deal. England defeated France 6-4 in a thrilling third-place match on Sunday.
Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick for England. France's comeback failed to materialise. England recorded their best performance in World Cup history since 1966. England were four goals ahead at the end of the first half, but Kylian Mbappe scored twice to turn the game around. Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot.
Ousmane Dembele pulled one back for France late in the game, before substitute Jude Bellingham also scored. His total goals in the tournament reached seven, making him England's highest scorer in a single World Cup.
Tuchel said after the match, ‘England has won a World Cup medal after 60 years, this is England’s best performance on foreign soil.’ He added, ‘That’s why the English players should be proud of this performance. We were able to present a strong challenge throughout the tournament. When we started our journey 18 months ago, we started our campaign to win the World Cup, we wanted to reach the final and win the title. That’s why some may not consider the current performance successful, but it’s not.’
Tuchel’s defensive strategy is believed to have led England to a 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the semi-final, and he has also been heavily criticized for it. England were able to maintain that lead against Argentina by one goal. The German coach added, ‘Some were talking in the press conference that we were out of the league stage, that too without a win.’
He went on to say, ‘The best answer to such criticism is to give it on the field. If you just talk, you will not win anything. Nor will it get you points. What makes me happy is that we have finally responded on the field. We expected this kind of result and it was impressive.’
Hat-trick hero Saka also responded that he was proud of the team’s performance. He said, ‘We have also achieved some memorable results throughout the tournament. The only thing we failed to achieve was against Argentina. This defeat still hurts us. Our fans must be feeling the same pain. But now we can go home with our heads held high.' His hat-trick is the fourth by an England player at the World Cup.
