England assistant coach Anthony Barry fought back tears after England's dramatic 6-4 victory over France in the World Cup third-place play-off, while France midfielder Adrien Rabiot launched a furious attack on his own teammates, branding some players' behaviour as "shameful" and "unacceptable".
Barry emotional after England's win
Thomas Tuchel's side ended their tournament on a high in Miami after Bukayo Saka's hat-trick inspired a chaotic victory in a game that featured 10 goals and almost no defending. While England celebrated salvaging third place following the heartbreak of their semi-final defeat to Argentina, emotions were running high on both sides.
Assistant coach Anthony Barry was visibly emotional during his half-time interview with the BBC after watching England race into a 4-0 lead, admitting the pain of the Argentina defeat was still raw. "I have to be honest, no frustration. I'm a little bit emotional, I'm struggling to find the words to describe how proud I am of these players," Barry said. "They're playing the game with broken hearts. I see 11 lads with broken hearts, seen them in the last two days, broken hearts. They can build a performance like that through playing for England. The team spirit we've built the last seven weeks, it's been a privilege to watch. I know what the cynics will say, 'It's too late'. But we still play against a world-class opponent."
Rabiot launches scathing attack on France teammates
However, there was a very different mood inside the France camp after the final whistle. Midfielder Adrien Rabiot launched a remarkable attack on his own teammates during his post-match press conference, accusing some players of displaying behaviour he had "never seen before" as Didier Deschamps' side conceded six goals. The AC Milan midfielder said: "We came out in a pretty shameful way during that first half! The behavior of certain players is something I'd never seen before. It's a bit disappointing. It was the last match to really shine in this competition. We can't just settle for half-assing things like that. But in the first half, certain behaviors... It's pretty unacceptable!!!"
Match recap: England's 6-4 victory
England had stormed into a four-goal lead through Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and a first-half brace from Saka before France mounted a second-half comeback inspired by Kylian Mbappe, who scored twice to move further clear in the race for the Golden Boot. But despite Les Bleus threatening an unlikely comeback, Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot to seal a memorable 6-4 victory and ensure England finished the tournament in third place.
For England, the dominant emotion was pride despite the disappointment of missing out on the final. For France, Rabiot's explosive comments laid bare a dressing room left questioning its own attitude after one of the most chaotic matches of the World Cup.
