England assistant coach Anthony Barry appeared visibly emotional at halftime during the World Cup third-place play-off match against France, citing pride in his players' resilience.
"Have to be honest, there's so much frustration," Barry said in his halftime address. "I'm a little bit emotional, I can't find the words about how proud I am of those players. We're playing a game with broken hearts, 11 lads with broken hearts."
He spoke of seeing the players with "broken hearts" in the hotel in the days following their World Cup semi-final exit but emphasized their ability to perform with pride for England. Barry highlighted the team spirit developed over the seven weeks of the tournament.
"The cynics will say it's too late but we still play against a world-class opponent and I'm so proud of the boys," he added. "There's 45 minutes to go. The game's not done. Anything can happen. But I'm proud of the team and I hope everyone is as well at home."
The first half saw England score four goals against France. Declan Rice opened the scoring within three minutes, followed by a goal from Ezri Konsa. Bukayo Saka added two goals, his first coming in the 37th minute and his brace secured just before the halftime break.
According to reports, Martin Keown commented in the BBC studio that Barry looked "emotionally drained" after the extended period in the United States.
For fans focused on reaching the World Cup final, the third-place match might hold less significance. However, with national honor at stake, France was expected to increase their performance in the second half of the match, which also marks the final game for outgoing manager Didier Deschamps.
The first-half performance by England marked a significant defensive struggle for France, who had not conceded four goals in a single half since a European Championship qualification match in 1968 against Yugoslavia. France captain Kylian Mbappe appeared bewildered at times by England's attacking success, while Deschamps was observed looking dejected in the dugout.
Earlier, head coach Thomas Tuchel's decision to start players like Declan Rice while benching others such as Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane in Miami had raised eyebrows.