Tuchel: I feared this, and we feel the pain

Gareth Southgate, England's manager, spoke to BBC Sport following the thrilling 6-4 victory over France in the third-place playoff of the 2026 World Cup.

The coach stated: "We had a fantastic first half, then a shaky second half. The impact of one day and the difference in the match schedule was clear. We are extremely exhausted from the past weeks, so I commend and respect the mentality we showed. Overcoming all these difficulties is truly remarkable."

He added: "I was worried about the physical demands of the match. We know the quality and speed of the French national team, and they have a much lighter schedule. The match was less exhausting; they had an extra day between their semi-final matches to rest, and their travel distance was much shorter than ours."

He emphasized: "We played in extreme heat and at a high altitude. I was worried about the physical aspect. It was evident in the second half, with cramps and fatigue, but I never worried about the mentality. I've said it before, this team has created something very special, and they proved it again."

He elaborated on the changes made after the water break in the second half: "I'm not sure if we controlled the game better. Simply put, we had more active players of better quality, while the other players were tired. France played with all its strength and risk, so we were unlucky not to concede an equalizer and to seal the match with a penalty and a brilliant goal."

On Bukayo Saka: "He delivered a perfect performance. I had a feeling in the semi-finals about Rogers that he would be involved in something special. And that’s what happened; the matches themselves require a lot, a lot of focus on the changes due to cramps and the flow of the game. Bukayo showed that he is a key player. There’s no doubt about that. I didn’t know he scored a hat-trick. I wasn’t following the top scorers list, but he was fantastic."

Regarding closing the gap between the top national teams: "It was clear to everyone. We have the ability to close the gap, but they have the ability to widen it again. Eight years ago, they were [France] champions. Four years ago, they reached the final. There is a small difference, but no problem. We want to close it; I said yesterday that today is the first step towards closing it. And we did it. We beat them. The next match will be against Spain in the UEFA Nations League."

He concluded: "Seeing a team fight like this gives you energy. The fatigue will come later. We will still feel the pain when the final is tomorrow. It will take some time, but overall, it gives me more energy than it drains from me."