Tuchel speaks candidly after England defeats France to claim third place at the 2026 World Cup.
Thumbs up!!! Tuchel praises the England players for grit and determination in beating France to secure third place at the 2026 World Cup.
Thomas Tuchel, England's national team coach, commended his players' fighting spirit after they defeated France 6-4 to secure third place at the 2026 World Cup, despite nearly running out of energy in the second half.
In the match, England led 4-0 at halftime. In the second half, France closed the gap to 3-4 before England extended it to 5-3. France then narrowed it again to 4-5, but Jude Bellingham scored the final goal to help the Lions clinch an exciting 6-4 victory.
Tuchel said, “We played excellently in the first half. The second half was very chaotic. You could see how exhausted and drained we were after many weeks of competition.”
“So I must give the highest praise and respect to the fighting spirit we showed. Overcoming all those difficulties was remarkable. I was concerned about the physical intensity of this match. We knew France’s quality and speed, and they had a less demanding match schedule than us.”
“They had one more day’s rest between the semifinals and traveled a much shorter distance than we did. We played in heat and at high altitude. I was very worried about physical condition. You could see the cramps and fatigue in the second half. But I never worried about our mental strength.”
“I’ve said before this team has created something very special, and they showed it once again.”