Keane and Neville urge England players to value World Cup bronze after Argentina heartbreak

England will face France in the World Cup third-place play-off on Saturday after suffering a 2-1 semi-final defeat to holders Argentina, with Roy Keane and Gary Neville both urging Thomas Tuchel’s squad to treat the bronze medal match as a genuine honour rather than a consolation.

Anthony Gordon gave England the lead just before the hour mark, but Argentina turned the game around in the closing stages. Enzo Fernandez equalised with five minutes of normal time remaining before Lautaro Martinez’s stoppage-time header completed a painful comeback for the South Americans.

Tuchel drew criticism for his second-half tactical decisions while England were ahead, switching from a back four to a back five in an attempt to protect the lead. The change allowed Lionel Messi, who had struggled to influence the first hour, to dictate the remainder of the match.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Gary Neville was clear about how he would view a third-place finish. “If you gave me a bronze medal in the World Cup, I think I’d value that,” he said. Keane echoed the sentiment and pointed to the match as a specific opportunity for Kobbie Mainoo, who has yet to receive meaningful minutes in the tournament. “It’s a great opportunity to say to Mainoo, I know you’re upset but you can play in the World Cup, you know what I mean?” Keane added.

The play-off also offers game time to fringe players including Trevoh Chalobah and Ivan Toney, the latter having made a late cameo against Argentina. France, England’s opponents on Saturday, were beaten 2-0 by Spain in their own semi-final.

Despite the defeat, Tuchel retains the full backing of the Football Association. The German head coach signed a two-year contract extension in February and will remain in charge through to Euro 2028. “We keep on going with the contract until the home Euros,” Tuchel said. “I’m looking forward to that even though right now it’s difficult to look that far ahead. A lot of big football nations are eliminated before the semi-final, so it is an achievement. No-one wants to hear that at the moment; me neither because we demand the most of ourselves. That’s just the nature of being competitive.”