Gareth Southgate admitted the better side won after Belgium beat England at a canter in Saint Petersburg.
Goals from Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard (right), one in each half, were enough to see off the Three Lions who looked well off the pace after their extra-time defeat to Croatia in Wednesday’s semifinal.
Both teams were playing for the seventh time in 26 days, but Belgium entered the match with an extra day of rest.
Meunier scored in the fourth minute, knocking a cross from Nacer Chadli past England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Hazard added the other off a pass from Kevin De Bruyne eight minutes from time.
After a run to the last-four which had been as unexpected as it was tense, the England manager said that his team had run out of steam.
“Belgium are a better side than us. We had to play flat out. We had a day less to repair and recover. It was a game too far for us,” Southgate said.
“Belgium are a top team and they will be thinking they should have gone further than they did. We caused them problems and pinned them back but they have players of the highest quality.
“Two years on, you look at the number of caps and age of the squad for Belgium. This is their peak but we are nowhere near that.
Toby Alderweireld denied England’s best chance of the game, sliding on the goal line to clear a shot from Eric Dier.
Despite the defeat England matched their best World Cup result — fourth in 1990 — since winning the tournament for the only time in 1966.
The run to the semifinals galvanized the country, and striker Harry Kane said the side must use their Russia campaign as a springboard.
“This game showed there is still room for improvement. We’re not the finished article, we’re still improving and will only get better. We don’t want to wait another 20 years to get into the semi-finals. We have made huge strides.”
For Belgium it was their best finish in a World Cup. Something that, once the dust has settled, will offer some consolation for not going all the way to today’s final.
“It’s all about the achievement, this is Belgium’s best finish at a World Cup. The players deserve that and they wanted to make the country proud,” Belgium boss Roberto Martinez said.
“We had 10 different goal scorers, the joint best in World Cup history. This team have broken records in the right way.”
England coach Gareth Southgate admits side beaten by better team as Belgium take World Cup third spot
England coach Gareth Southgate admits side beaten by better team as Belgium take World Cup third spot
- Belgium prove too good for England in easy 2-0 win
- England coach calls for team to use run to last-four as springboard to silverware
Power battle as Sabalenka clashes with Rybakina for Australian Open title
- Showdown pits two players who are on rampaging form and yet to drop a set in Melbourne in the past fortnight
MELBOURNE: Fire meets fire when hard-hitting Aryna Sabalenka clashes with big-serving Elena Rybakina in the women’s Australian Open final on Saturday.
The showdown pits two players who are on rampaging form and yet to drop a set in Melbourne in the past fortnight.
They know each other very well, having met 14 times previously, and it is a rematch of the 2023 title decider at Rod Laver Arena.
The Belarusian Sabalenka prevailed on that occasion, fighting back from a set down to win her first Grand Slam crown.
The world number one won it again in 2024, but was denied a hat-trick last year when she was stunned in the final by the American Madison Keys.
The meeting with the Kazakh Rybakina will be her fourth Melbourne final in a row, and she is expecting an almighty tussle.
“Her shots are heavy, deep, flat balls. It’s not easy to work with, but we have a great history,” said the 27-year-old, who defeated Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the semifinals.
“She’s an incredible player,” she added of the Moscow-born Rybakina, whose only major title so far is Wimbledon in 2022.
“We had a lot of great battles, a lot of finals we played.
“I’m looking forward to battling this power,” the top seed added with a smile.
Sabalenka goes into the final in scintillating form, having won all of her 11 matches in 2026 without dropping a set.
She lifted the Brisbane title before coming to Melbourne and is also the reigning US Open champion, underlining her prowess on hard courts.
After being well beaten on Thursday, Svitolina said that Sabalenka was “on fire.”
“She feels very comfortable here on these courts,” she added.
“Of course she won here a couple of times, so I think she has this confidence playing here.”
‘Fight till the end’
Sabalenka will be favorite, but recent history actually favors the 26-year-old Rybakina.
While Sabalenka leads their head-to-head record 8-6, Rybakina won the last time they met, in the decider at the WTA Finals in November in Saudi Arabia, in straight sets.
Rybakina is also on a terrific run of form of her own.
She lost in the quarter-finals in Brisbane, but that is her only defeat in 14 matches.
She has been quietly impressive in Melbourne, her victims including world number two Iga Swiatek and world number six Jessica Pegula.
Pegula gave an insight into what it is like facing the Kazakh, who she labelled “cool as a cucumber.”
“She’s always just tough. You know, she’s so chill. She doesn’t really give you anything,” said the American after going down 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) in the semifinals.
“You’re not really sure if she’s upset or if she’s excited or what it is.
“I think in today’s game that goes a long way.”
And then there’s Rybakina’s serve, the biggest in women’s tennis.
She has sent down 41 aces at the tournament, easily more than anyone else in the women’s draw.
Reflecting on their 2023 Australian final, Rybakina said both she and Sabalenka had improved and changed as players since.
But one thing remains the same — their power.
“Since we are both very aggressive players, serve is important,” said Rybakina.
She added: “Hopefully the serve is going to help me on Saturday, but even if it’s not, I’m going to still try to find my way.
“(I will) fight till the end, and hopefully this time it’s going to go my way.”
