England manager Thomas Tuchel said his side had taken their first step in closing the gap on the top football nations after edging a 10-goal thriller against France to finish third at the 2026 World Cup – the Three Lions’ best result since lifting the trophy in 1966.
Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick in an entertaining 6-4 win in the heat of Miami while France’s Kylian Mbappe became the leading scorer in World Cup history by netting twice.
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Tuchel spoke on the eve of the match about the pain of England’s 2-1 semi-final defeat by Argentina on Thursday morning, stressing the need to close the gap to the defending champions as well as France and Spain.
The German, who has faced a torrent of criticism from the English media over his cautious tactics in the Argentina defeat, said England had made progress with their win against France.
“We have the ability to close it, but they have the ability to open it up again,” he told the BBC.
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“Eight years ago they (France) were the champions. Four years ago they were in the final. There is a slight gap, but no problem. We want to close it.
“I said yesterday today is the first step to closing it. We did it. We beat them. The next one will be Spain in the Nations League.
“To see a team fight like this gives you energy. The tiredness will come after. We will still feel the pain when tomorrow is the final. This will take a while, but overall it gives me more energy than it takes from me.”
Not everyone was impressed through with many English journalists and fans taking to social media to wonder where England’s attacking flare had been in the semi-final.
The Three Lions were rampant in the first half, taking a 4-0 lead into half time with Saka at the forefront, while Marcus Rashford also made several eye catching runs.
Saka did not even get on the pitch against Argentina and with every goal he scored, the outrage grew that he had been left on the sidelines wearing a substitute’s bib in Atlanta.
Asked by the BBC after his hat-trick whether he wishes he had played a bigger role in the tournament, the Arsenal winger replied: “Of course, I would love to have played more. But of course, it’s not the time to talk about out.”
“I try to do my talking on the pitch. It’s done now. Move one,” the 24-year-old added.
Tuchel’s selections and substitutions were in the gun during the wash-up from the Argentina defeat – where Lionel Messi’s men scored in the 85th and 92nd minutes to snatch victory.
The German questioned whether England lacked the ‘DNA’ to hold possession under pressure like Spain and Argentina possess.
It was an unpopular comment and his explanation as to why he left Saka on the sidelines earlier in the week thrust that idea back into the spotlight.
“He did everything right. I had just a feeling in the semi-final for Morgan Rogers that he would be involved in something special. That was it,” Tuchel said.
“The game is in itself was so in demand that we were forced into changes because of cramps and flow of the game.
“Bukayo showed he was a key player, that was never a doubt. I was not even aware he had a hat-trick. I lost the overview of the goal scorers.”
The Telegraph’s Matt Law chose to look at the positives, however, with England holding onto their lead against France despite a big scare inspired by Kylian Mbappe’s brace.
“Was this evidence of England head coach Thomas Tuchel already learning lessons from the Argentina collapse? Let’s hope so,” he wrote.
“With England on the ropes and in danger of throwing away a lead against France, Tuchel resisted the temptation to flood his team with defenders and was rewarded with a World Cup bronze medal.”
Following the semi-final loss, Tuchel said he intends to see out his contract until the 2028 Euros, which will be hosted by the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
The FA have said they want to keep the German on board too despite the animosity towards him following their World Cup exit.