Thomas Tuchel believes England will eventually take pride in third-place finish

MIAMI: England manager Thomas Tuchel believes his players will eventually appreciate their third-place finish at the FIFA World Cup, even though missing out on the final remains a painful disappointment.

England secured a thrilling 6-4 victory over France in Saturday's third-place play-off at Miami Stadium, recording the nation's best World Cup finish since lifting the trophy on home soil in 1966.

Reflecting on the achievement, Tuchel said he hoped the squad would one day recognise its significance.

"It's the first medal for 60 years, the best World Cup on foreign soil. So I hope that the players can be proud of that in some time," Tuchel said.

England manager admitted that the squad's ambitions had always been much higher after setting their sights on winning the tournament.

"We are fiercely competitive, so like we almost don't allow ourselves to be proud of the third place because 18 months ago we set ourselves the highest goal ... to make it to the final and win the World Cup," he said.

"So it's very, very painful if you miss out. The pain will stay for a while."

Tuchel also responded to criticism following England's 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina, where his defensive approach after taking the lead came under scrutiny.

"The press conference yesterday felt as if we went out in the group stage without a win, to be very honest," he said.

"The best thing you can do is react on the pitch and get the next win. Everything else is just talking, and talking doesn't get you points, and talking doesn't get you a win. I'm glad that we showed a reaction."

The England boss also explained his decision to leave Bukayo Saka out of the starting line-up against Argentina despite the winger's hat-trick against France.

"It was a tough decision for me to leave him out of the semi-final," Tuchel said, revealing he had been cautious because of Saka's recent Achilles problem.

He added that he selected Morgan Rogers for his physical presence against Argentina and insisted his faith in Saka had never wavered.

"Bukayo is a fantastic teammate, fantastic football player, key player for us, and that will not change. He showed it again today and I'm happy for him."