"We have been fantastically accepted!" The coach from England destroyed stereotypes about Russia

Daria Tuboltseva

In the match for third place in the World Championship in Russia, the Belgian national team defeated England and won bronze medals for the first time in the world. ;history. The second time the British played in the match for third place and lost for the second time. But in Russia, the team could show the best result since 1966!

However, England's head coach Gareth Southgate does not look disappointed at the press conference

– Gareth, summarize the performance of the England team in this tournament.
– The job of the coach is to support the players, to inspire them, to find the best way to succeed. I am incredibly proud of what players have accomplished. They managed to get an incredible result in the tournament. More than many other English teams have succeeded.

We played with one of the best teams in the world and we knew we had to refresh the team. Only in this case we would have chances in the match against Belgium. Stones and Pickford have played well, so we're proud of our success. We finished the tournament in the top four, although we are not one of the four strongest teams in the world

– What do you think of Kane's game?
– Today is the seventh game in a short time. The team was emotionally and physically exhausted. It would be a mistake to judge Kane on the match today. As a captain, he led the team well. It is clear that we did not have the most difficult group. But that does not cancel the fact that we were able to reach the match for third place.

– Why did not you win today?
– As for the team and the moral upsurge today, three days ago we were ten minutes away from the final. It's an amazing experience. We always played until the end. Initially, I found it necessary to tell the players how proud I am of them. We did not win games in playoffs with serious opponents for many years. We know exactly what we have accomplished. We leave Russia as a team that has made great progress. Now, we must look to the future. I think that today the attitude of the players was excellent, but the physical condition left a lot to be desired. We could not prepare properly in a short time, so we started slowly and missed a goal early in the game. But I could not ask more for any player

– Do matches in general need third place?
– Today, it was an incredibly difficult match. We were so close to the biggest price that at this point everyone just wanted to go home. But for half a day, we managed to set the goals for the match today. This match has set a new benchmark for us. I do not have the right to decide whether to hold the match for third place. We tried to win the medal and wanted to finish the tournament on a positive note. Sometimes the quality of our game leaves a lot to be desired, but the Belgians now have the best team in their history.

– Do not you think you have done too much in Russia?
– I do not think so. We look very realistic at what level we are. We have received a lot of praise, but on the other hand, we are facing the truth and we know that we need to improve our game. It is great that we have reached the semifinals, it gives us faith and momentum. I want to thank everyone here.

After the last question from the reporters, Gareth Southgate asked for a moment of attention and delivered a sincere speech

. "I want to thank everyone," began the head coach of England. – In Russia, we were taken fantastically, the tournament organization was simply magnificent. We were hot in every city. Thank you to all the volunteers. We have talked a lot about relations between our countries. From my personal experience, I can say that the communication with the Russians was excellent, everyone treated us exceptionally well. Thank you and the British journalists who were part of the team. They asked the right questions.