England and France, still smarting from their respective semi-final defeats, will have to pick themselves up from the heartbreak ahead of the third-place playoff on Saturday.
Spain demolished France’s hopes of reaching a third successive World Cup final on Tuesday, while England had everything going in their favour before Thomas Tuchel’s self-destructive strategy ended their hopes before Argentina.
The post-match inquest into the teams’ losses will continue. England’s wait for a first men’s major trophy since 1966 goes on. Still a win now would ensure England men’s best finish at the tournament for 60 years.
The last time France were involved in the third-place playoff was in 1986, when
they defeated Belgium 4-2 via the shootout.
Saturday’s contest won’t mean all that much for many, but will be significant for Didier Deschamps. The will be his 187th match in charge with the national team, and his players will want to ensure his reign ends with a 122nd victory.
Besides, captain Kylian Mbappe could still be in the running for the Golden Boot. He is currently level with Lionel Messi as this World Cup’s joint top scorer on eight goals so far.
However, the Argentine currently has the edge with four assists to Mbappe’s three.
Should Mbappe score, or provide two assists, he would follow in the footsteps of
Italy’s Salvatore Schillaci, who clinched the Golden Boot in 1990 by scoring in the third-place contest against England.
Of course, there is still a chance an England player might take the prize given both Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are just two goals behind Messi and Mbappe.