Thomas Tuchel’s side were playing their final match of the tournament after a devastating 2–1 semi‑final defeat to Argentina. What looked like a largely meaningless third‑place play‑off – a game neither team seemed particularly keen to contest, quickly turned into a goal‑laden spectacle. England raced into an impressive 4–0 half‑time lead, with goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and a first‑half brace from Bukayo Saka. After the restart, the Arsenal forward completed his hat‑trick before Jude Bellingham added a sixth in stoppage time.
Despite a determined French comeback, England secured their best World Cup finish since 1966. Saka and Bellingham both threatened to stretch the scoreline further, only to be denied in quick succession by France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
The missed chances appeared to frustrate Murphy in the gantry as Wilson described the action. The former Liverpool and England midfielder was spotted on the edge of his seat reacting to the squandered opportunities, using his microphone as an outlet for his exasperation by striking it against the desk.
Unsurprisingly, viewers at home could detect the sound. Commentator Wilson quipped: “Danny, people can hear you if you bang your microphone on the table! ,” before Murphy apologised.
He said: “Sorry, sorry. It was either that or shout really loud.”
After the crushing blow of missing out on a place in the final, man of the match Saka believed he could have contributed more to his nation’s campaign. “Of course I’d love to have played a bigger part but it’s too late for that,” he said. “I tried to do my talking on the pitch but it’s time to move on. Yeah, I’m fit, I’m fit.”
The 24-year-old arrived at the tournament with fitness doubts hanging over him after being stretched to breaking point, battling through injury while helping Arsenal secure the Premier League title. Saka also declined to comment on the criticism directed at England manager Tuchel, who faced mounting pressure to step down following Argentina’s dramatic late fightback.
He added: “I think it’s just part of the game, when you win there will be noise and when you lose, it’s about how you react to it and use it as fuel, we finished strong.
“We built and built across the tournament. We had some amazing results and in the end we fell short against Argentina. It hurts a lot to all of us and I’m sure it’s the same to the fans back home but we have to hold out head high and focus on the next one.”