England was dreaming of a World Cup final with 5 minutes of normal time left on the clock against Argentina. But a late collapse shattered their dreams and ended their title hopes. But to the displeasure of head coach Thomas Tuchel, they are not on the plane home yet, as they have to play the third-place fixture against France. The fixture is nothing but an act of “professionalism” for Tuchel and his team.
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Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez’s late goals condemned them to a 2-1 defeat as English players looked tired and heartbroken after a month-long tournament. But they have to go one more time and find the right frame of mind to compete for the bronze medal, and Tuchel wasn’t a fan of this.
“None of our players and none of the French players want to play this match,” Tuchel said in the post-match conference. “They want to play the final. We gave everything to achieve that. Everyone plays to win the World Cup, but that’s how it is. We have one less day of recovery than France, but we will do it with professionalism.”
The third-place fixture has been a regularity at the World Cup since 1934, but was not held regularly. Germany beat Austria 3-2 in the first Bronze final. Viewed by many as merely a means of revenue for FIFA, the Bronze final often has the feel of an exhibition match. Many players who fail to make the World Cup final will think of it as an extra match on the biggest stage to achieve some more milestones.
In this edition, however, it feels like a clash between teams that had bigger ambitions. England was looking to finally end their 60-year World Cup drought and lift the title. But they never clicked as a team, with individual performances from Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham saving them multiple times in the knockouts.
It all unraveled on Wednesday against Argentina as Tuchel chose to sit back after taking a 1-0 lead. Argentina attacked relentlessly, and England crumbled as Tuchel faced the music for going defensive with over half an hour to go against the defending champions.
Despite Tuchel claiming he has “no regrets” over the approach, there was plenty of furore over his approach to the game. The coach’s choice to pick a full-strength team will be under the scanner again.
In the opposite corner, France arrived with a broken heart as they fell to a 2-0 defeat to Spain in the World Cup semifinal on Tuesday. Kylian Mbappé failed to guide his team to a third straight World Cup final despite a stellar tournament with eight goals.
France coach Didier Deschamps, who will be leaving the national team after the World Cup, will hope to bow out on a high with a third-place finish to add to his triumphs as a player and coach. Mbappé himself will be keen to get a Golden Boot, and plenty of French supporters will be eager to see a star player in action.
Despite Tuchel slamming the game, FIFA has made it a ritual over the decades to fill the gap between the semifinals and the finals, and will never do away with the idea.
