Declan Rice fired England into an early lead against France, scoring in the third minute of the World Cup third-place play-off at Miami Stadium, as Harry Kane backed Thomas Tuchel to learn from the semi-final defeat to Argentina.
Kane was an unused substitute as England sealed third place with an entertaining 6-4 victory on Saturday – their best finish at a World Cup on foreign soil. But the captain’s focus remained on the lessons from the 1-0 loss to Argentina, where Tuchel opted to switch to a back five to defend a lead and was heavily criticised for his tactics.
“England beat France 6-4 with Rice scoring third minute to seal third place as Kane backs Tuchel.”
“I know there are a lot of questions after the other night,” Kane said. “We have to process it as players. I’m sure the manager will. It’s his first major tournament. He’ll learn a lot from the players, the situations, the pressures, the travel.”
Despite the defeat, Kane described the environment Tuchel has created since succeeding Gareth Southgate in 2025 as “the best England group I’ve been a part of in terms of togetherness”, adding that the German played “a big part” in creating the positive atmosphere. Tuchel signed a contract extension before the tournament.
Kane acknowledged the frustration of falling short. “Fans are going to be angry and we understand it,” he said. “It’s a major tournament and that’s why you dream so big. When it doesn’t go your way you have to take the criticism.”
England now face a crucial Nations League campaign, starting with a rematch of the Euro 2024 final against Spain on 26 September at Wembley. They will also face Croatia and Czechia after being promoted from the second tier in 2024 – having been relegated under Southgate in 2022. Kane believes the group must use these games to gain experience against top-class opposition, after missing out on regular high-level fixtures in the buildup to the World Cup.
“We had a lot of good things, a lot of tough situations we overcame,” Kane added. “We know over the next two years until we’re facing that situation again there is always going to be a question mark. It’s something we have to take and use as motivation.”