Thomas Tuchel expressed pride in England’s players following their exhilarating 6-4 triumph over France, securing third place at the World Cup for the first time in history.
England surged ahead with a commanding 4-0 lead by halftime, thanks to contributions from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and two goals from Bukayo Saka. However, the French team, under Didier Deschamps in his last match as coach, fought back after halftime adjustments. Kylian Mbappé added to his tournament tally, reaching 10 goals and surpassing Lionel Messi’s overall World Cup record.
Saka completed his hat-trick before Ousmane Dembélé narrowed the gap to 5-4 in injury time. Jude Bellingham, who came off the bench, sealed the victory with his seventh goal of the tournament, marking the highest tally by an England player in World Cup history.
In a close call, England was just five minutes away from reaching their first World Cup final on foreign soil, but Messi’s brilliance led to a late comeback by the reigning champions in Atlanta. Tuchel, who faced some jeers from fans when his name was announced before the match, emphasized the need for England to diminish the gap with elite teams. Following their win against the 2018 champions, he urged his players to strive for further improvement, starting with their upcoming Nations League clash against Spain 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 shared that Jordan Henderson’s pre-game speech helped to frame their achievement positively. “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.”
Anthony Barry, Tuchel’s assistant, expressed pride in the team’s performance during an emotional half-time interview while England led 4-0, noting the unique circumstances surrounding the match. “playing a game with broken hearts” he said. “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,”
After being an unused substitute against Argentina, Saka reflected on his disappointment but emphasized his focus on future performances. “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 just the third individual to win the World Cup as both a player and manager, departing with a sense of satisfaction after reaching 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 humorously noted about his team’s first-half performance. “I could have changed eight of them at half-time,”
