England manager Thomas Tuchel hailed the "unbelievable" resilience of his squad after the Three Lions secured its best FIFA World Cup finish in 60 years, overcoming France 6-4 in a thrilling bronze medal match.
Tuchel's side won a 10-goal thriller at Miami Stadium against Les Bleus, following an eye-catching first-half performance, to end this summer's campaign on a high. And, in doing so, England recorded their highest World Cup finish since lifting the trophy at Wembley in 1966.
In 1990, Sir Bobby Robson’s side finished fourth after losing 2-1 to hosts Italy in the third-place play-off, and it was a similar story eight years ago in Russia when the team managed by Sir Gareth Southgate fell to a 2-0 defeat against Belgium.
“We had a brilliant first half and a turbulent second,” said Tuchel. “You could see the difference a day makes in the schedule, we were so tired and drained from the last weeks. Massive compliment and full respect to the mentality we showed after going through adversity.”
England surged to a 4-0 lead in the first half, and while France found its rhythm after the interval, it was ultimately unable to overturn the deficit. Bukayo Saka completed a hat-trick for England. The England boss gave his assessment of an entertaining ten-goal thriller in Miami in England’s last outing at this summer’s tournament.
“I was afraid of the physical demand of the match as we know the quality and speed of France,” he continued. “The schedule for them was less demanding, with one day more from the semi-final to digest and way less travel distances than us.
"We have played in the heat, altitude and whatever else. I was worried physically and you could see the cramps and tiredness in the second half. But I was never worried about the mentality. This team created something very special and they showed it again," he said.
England’s run to the last four also set a new milestone for the nation’s senior sides. Over the last four major tournaments for the men's and women's teams combined, dating back to the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, England have reached at least the semi-final stage.
And although Tuchel and his players were disappointed to lose the semi-final against Argentina and miss out on a place in the final, he explained how tonight’s result has energised him.
“To see a team fight like this gives you energy,” he added. “The tiredness will come after. We will still feel the pain tomorrow during the final, this will take a while, but overall it gives me more energy than it takes from me.”
--IANS
