The penultimate game of this enthralling World Cup threatens to be the most meaningless as France and England battle it out for a bronze medal which nobody really wants.
Didier Deschamps’s side at least have the Golden Boot for Kylian Mbappé to chase after. France’s captain was dislodged from the summit of the top scorer standings by Lionel Messi’s pair of assists against England in the semifinal and will surely be confident of adding to his tally should the Three Lions adopt such a timid approach again.
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham also have a faint claim to that shimmering individual accolade yet both were dropped by Thomas Tuchel, who made his feelings about the importance of the contest abundantly clear.
France’s Ibrahima Konaté put a finer point on the matter prematch: “Not one of us wanted to play this game.”
