Tuchel confident England took first steps to closing gap to top nations

Thomas Tuchel believes England have taken their first steps towards closing the gap to the top nations after claiming third place at the World Cup.

England's late collapse against Argentina saw them miss out on a place in the final, but they bounced back to beat France 6-4 in Saturday’s third-place play-off and claim the bronze medal.

The Three Lions blew France away in the first half, taking a 4-0 lead into half-time, scoring four goals in the first half of a World Cup knockout stage for the first time.

They had to hold on against a France fightback, but they have achieved their second-best finish at the World Cup, behind their 1966 success on home soil. 

At the 11th attempt, England won a World Cup game against an opponent ranked higher than them for only the second time, previously beating Argentina 1-0 in 2002 (D1 L8).

And Tuchel acknowledged how big a boost this can be to England's mentality going forward.

"You could see, I think, everything," he told BBC Sport. "We have the ability to close it, but they have the ability to open it up again.

"Eight years ago, they [France] were the champions. Four years ago, they were in the final. There is a slight gap, but no problem. We want to close it.

"I said [the third-place play-off] is the first step to closing it [the gap]. We did it. We beat them. The next one will be Spain in the Nations League.

"To see a team fight like this gives you energy. The tiredness will come after. We will still feel the pain when it is the final. This will take a while, but overall, it gives me more energy than it takes from me."

Bukayo Saka became just the second England player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup knockout-stage match after Geoff Hurst in the 1966 final.

The only other player to score a treble vs France in the competition is Brazil's Pele in 1958.

"He did everything right," Tuchel added about Saka. "I had a feeling in the semi-final for [Morgan] Rogers. That he would be involved in something special. That was it.

"The games in themselves demand so much, so much focus on changes because of cramps and flow of the games.

"Bukayo showed that he is a key player. There is never a doubt. I wasn't aware he had a hat-trick. I lost the overview of the goalscorers, but brilliant."