Good afternoon! The disappointment of Wednesday night may not have completely subsided just yet, but England are back in action today as they bring their memorable
World Cup campaign to a close against Belgium in the third-place playoff.
Both teams could make a little slice of history with victory so, while this is a match renowned for being one no-one wants to play in, there is still plenty to fight for between these two sides. It is very hard to pick yourself up after a semi-final defeat in the World Cup, though, so it remains to be seen what type of game we will get tonight.
First things first, let's check out the team news!
BELGIUM STARTING XI: Courtois; Vertonghen, Kompany, Alderweireld; Meunier, Tielemans, Witsel, Chadli; De Bruyne, Lukaku, E Hazard
BELGIUM SUBS: Mertens, Carrasco, Batshuayi, Vermaelen, Mignolet, Casteels, T Hazard, Dembele, Januzaj, Boyata, Dendoncker
ENGLAND STARTING XI: Pickford; Jones, Maguire, Stones; Trippier, Dier, Delph, Loftus-Cheek, Rose; Kane, Sterling
ENGLAND SUBS: Walker, Lingard, Henderson, Vardy, Butland, Welbeck, Cahill, Young, Rashford, Alli, Alexander-Arnold, Pope
Some very interesting team news to take a look at there, then, and we will begin with England.
Southgate promised that he wouldn't make wholesale changes, and he has stuck to his word with five despite being less than three days removed from a gruelling semi-final defeat.
Surprisingly, though, the most likely player to miss out - Kieran Trippier - is indeed included in the starting lineup. Trippier was helped off the pitch to leave England with 10 men after damaging his groin in the latter stages of extra time against Croatia, but he has sufficiently recovered to start again this afternoon, despite Southgate admitting that he would be "surprised" if the Tottenham man was available.
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There are also notable starts for Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane, both of whom lead the line this afternoon. Sterling was key to stretching the Croatia defence during his time on the pitch in the semi-final, and it was arguably his departure which allowed Croatia to really kick on and get back into the game.
Kane, meanwhile, has his sights set on the Golden Boot as he looks to emulate Gary Lineker as the only previous Englishman to win the award. Kane is currently on six goals - the same number Lineker got in 1986 - so one goal for him today would make him the highest-scoring Englishman at a single World Cup ever.
Indeed, from the last nine World Cups only Brazil's Ronaldo (eight in 2002) has bettered Kane's tally of six goals, five of which came in the first two games of the tournament.
The Tottenham striker's threat has lessened since the group stages, though, and his only shot on target from his last three World Cup outings came with his penalty against Colombia in the last 16. Kane was ineffective against Croatia too and it is something of a surprise to see him start today as it looked as though he was exhausted during the semi-final.
Pickford, Maguire and Stones are the other three players to keep their places in the side from that semi-final defeat as Walker, Henderson, Lingard, Alli and Young all drop out of the starting lineup for today's game.
Replacing that quintet in the team are Phil Jones, Eric Dier, Fabian Delph, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Danny Rose, all of whom will be desperate to take their chance in the first team and play another big role in this memorable World Cup campaign.
Belgium were also expected to make a number of changes, but
Roberto Martinez's team selection will leave people in no doubt that he wants to win this match and secure third place for the Red Devils.
Indeed, there are only two changes from the team which started the semi-final against France on Tuesday night, and one of those sees Thomas Meunier return from suspension to fill in at wing-back, which should in turn see Belgium revert to three at the back.
Nacer Chadli had filled in as a makeshift right-back against France, be he switches over to the left for today's game with Marouane Fellaini the man to drop out in place of the returning Meunier.
Tottenham midfielder Mousa Dembele is the other player to miss out this afternoon as he drops to the bench, with Youri Tielemans coming into the side as his replacement. Martinez tinkered with his side a lot for the group game between these two sides, but he has resisted that temptation today.
That, of course, means that the deadly front three of Kevin De Bruyne,
Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku remain in place, and all three have enjoyed good World Cups even if they were unable to prise open the French defence last time out.
Lukaku is actually Kane's most realistic challenger for the Golden Boot so may have one eye on that today, currently trailing his Premier League rival by two goals. Lukaku does have an assist to his name, though, which means that if he ends level on goals with Kane then he would get the Golden Boot.
The Manchester United striker has scored 23 goals in his 23 appearances for Belgium under Roberto Martinez, but has also failed to score in his last three. He has never gone four games without a goal for Belgium under Martinez.
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It is also an all-Premier League back three with Vertonghen, Kompany and Alderweireld all keeping their places in the side for this one, and behind them Thibaut Courtois tends the goal, having labelled France's tactics "anti-football" in the semi-final.
One player who may feel aggrieved at not starting his Adnan Januzaj, who scored the only goal of the game when these two sides met in the group stages.
Belgium would certainly take a repeat result of that tonight and, while this is always a difficult game to get motivated for, the Red Devils perhaps have more reason to do so than England.
History beckons for Martinez and his players if they come out on top this afternoon as they would officially be the most successful Belgian team in World Cup history, with their previous best finish being fourth place at the 1986 World Cup, where they lost 4-2 to France in the third-place playoff.
It may not be the history Belgium were after, though, and after knocking out Brazil they must have thought that they were in with a really good chance of getting their hands on the trophy for the very first time.
Belgium have arguably been the standout team of the entire tournament, scoring the most goals (14) and boasting the most different goalscorers (nine), but it may still go down as an underachievement even if they win this match considering the quality of the players they have at their disposal.
The big question for Belgium right now is whether this was their best shot at glory with their 'golden generation', and it is one that will only be answered over the next four years in the buildup to Qatar 2022.
However, the likes of Hazard, De Bruyne and Lukaku and either in or approaching what is traditionally the prime years for players like that, while a number of the squad are also the wrong side of 30, so it could well be the case that they are not as much of a force by the time the Qatar World Cup rolls around. This may well have been their best chance.
It was all going so well for Martinez's side before the semi-final, winning all five of their matches without the need for extra time or penalties - including a 1-0 win over England which saw them top Group G,
There was a major scare in the last 16 when Belgium were forced to come from two goals down to win 3-2 with the final kick of the match, but the quarter-finals saw them produce their best display of the tournament in a 2-0 win over Brazil.
That was to be as good as it got, though, with France battling to a 1-0 win in the semi-finals courtesy of Samuel Umtiti's goal.
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Belgium are, however, the only team to have a beaten a team from all five FIFA confederations at this World Cup and, as previously mentioned, are the tournament's leading scorers with their 14 goals being scored by nine different players.
There are problems at the other end, though, particularly in World Cup knockout games where Belgium have not kept a clean sheet in 14 games. That is an all-time record for the tournament, with no other team having played more than seven knockout games without keeping a clean sheet.
Kane must be licking his lips!
Belgium have not lost back-to-back World Cup matches against European opposition since 1990, when the second of those came against England, while they are yet to lose successive games under Roberto Martinez either.
Indeed, Martinez has only lost two of his 26 matches at the helm - his first game in charge against Spain and the most recent one against France, the latter of which ended a 24-game unbeaten streak across all competitions which included 19 wins and lasted almost two years.
It is almost eight years since Belgium last lost back-to-back competitive matches too, last doing so in qualifying for Euro 2012 when they were beaten by Germany and Turkey in succession.
The Red Devils came into this tournament as the third-ranked team in the world according to FIFA, so finishing any lower than third may be considered something of an upset, although they have already fared better than the two teams who were above them in those rankings.
Belgium perhaps need victory to feel a sense of success more than England do today, with the Three Lions having already surpassed all expectations by making it this far.
Another semi-final defeat - their fourth in a row at major championships - was of course very hard to take, but once there is the time to reflect on this tournament it will be regarded as one of England's most memorable ever. Reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 1990 was wholly unexpected, and even defeat today would not dampen the newfound feeling of pride the nation has in this young team.
For a tournament which started with such low expectations it is still slightly surreal that one more victory would give England their best World Cup finish since lifting the trophy in 1966, and even reaching the final week of the tournament deserves to be celebrated.
England's only previous World Cup third-place playoff came in 1990 when they lost to hosts Italy, so the class of 2018 now has the chance to go one better than even that 1990 team which is still so revered.
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Whatever happens today, it has still been a World Cup to remember for England for numerous different reasons.
The Three Lions have scored more goals at this tournament than they have at any previous World Cup, with their tally of 12 eclipsing even 1966, they have had more different goalscorers (6) than at any previous World Cup and they have also recorded their biggest ever World Cup victory - the 6-1 drubbing of Panama.
One more win today would also see them win four matches at a single World Cup for only the second time - no prizes for guessing that the first was in 1966.
Aside from all the records, though, England have also got a number of hoodoos off their backs during this tournament, which should help them fare better in the future - most notably their penalty shootout victory over Colombia in the last 16.
England had failed to win any of their previous three World Cup penalty shootouts, but came out on top against the South Americans to reach the quarter-finals, where they eased past Sweden to make it into the semi-finals for the first time in 28 years.
There is no doubting that it has been a kind draw for England throughout this World Cup and it is only natural to ask the question 'What if?', particularly after the nature of their semi-final defeat to Croatia.
England were by far the better team in the first half and could have almost put the game to bed had Kane and Lingard taken chances to add to Trippier's early opener. Croatia avoided any further damage, though, and fought their way back into the match before eventually winning in extra time. It is hard to argue that England deserved to win over the course of the 120 minutes, but had they made more of their spell on top in the first half then things could have been very different.
It could have been all songs in the street, it was nearly complete, it was nearly so sweet...
The worrying trend for England as the tournament has gone on it their increasing toothlessness in front of goal. England began their campaign looking very dangerous going forward, scoring eight goals in their opening two games, including six against Panama, and that should have been an even bigger tally but for some poor finishing against Tunisia.
Indeed, England had 15 shots on target during those first two games, but they have managed only eight in their four World Cup outings since, registering exactly two in every match.
England's defeat at the hands of Croatia on Wednesday was actually their 100th loss in competitive matches - not exactly a milestone which will improve the mood of mourning fans but a significant one nonetheless.
Perhaps the more telling statistic is that the last six of those defeats have all come at major tournaments. Getting to the tournaments is not a problem for England, but performing there is - although this current crop have certainly made good progress on that front.
PREDICTION! Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff in Saint Petersburg, which means that it is time for a prediction!
This is always going to be a difficult one to call. A lot will depend on the motivation of both sides to win the game, and whether they have fully recovered from the disappointment of losing a World Cup semi-final. Belgium have had an extra day to recover, though, so that could prove crucial.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Belgium 2-1 England
These two sides have, of course, already met once at this summer's World Cup and today will become the first teams to face each other twice in the same World Cup for the first time since 2002, when Turkey and Brazil crossed paths on a couple of occasions.
Belgium won the group game between these two sides courtesy of Adnan Januzaj's strike, although both managers made a number of changes to their teams.
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That 1-0 victory was actually only the second time Belgium have ever beaten England without the need for a penalty shootout, with England winning 15 of the previous 21 prior to this summer.
Belgium's only previous victory in that time came 82 years ago, so it was an historic triumph for the Red Devils, even if it did prove to give them a more difficult route through the tournament.
Today's match will be the fourth time these two have met in the World Cup, including of course the group game earlier this summer.
The record from the past three World Cup meetings is perfectly matched at one win apiece and a draw, the latter result of which was a thrilling 4-4 contest in 1954. England's win, meanwhile, came in 1990 when David Platt scored a last-gasp extra-time winner with the only goal of the game.
Right, the players are on their way out and we're almost ready to go here! Let's have a quick reminder of the team news before we do get started...
BELGIUM STARTING XI: Courtois; Vertonghen, Kompany, Alderweireld; Meunier, Tielemans, Witsel, Chadli; De Bruyne, Lukaku, E Hazard
ENGLAND STARTING XI: Pickford; Jones, Maguire, Stones; Trippier, Dier, Delph, Loftus-Cheek, Rose; Kane, Sterling
KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Belgium get us underway in Saint Petersburg!
'Only' the five changes for England today, but it is still a youthful team named by
Gareth Southgate here...
GOAL! Belgium 1-0 England (Thomas Meunier)
It is a nightmare start for England as Belgium take the lead after less than four minutes through the returning Meunier!
It is all too easy for Belgium, with the ball flicked inside to Lukaku, who lays a perfectly-weighted pass into the path of Chadli. Chadli's cross into the middle is a good one, and Meunier gets the wrong side of Rose to convert from close range!
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Lukaku has really impressed at this tournament so far, and it is clear that he is about so much more than just sticking the ball in the back of the net. We all know about his strength and ability to bring others into play, but that was a perfect pass down the wing to help create that goal too.
There is, understandably, a rather flat atmosphere inside the stadium today, with plenty of empty seats as well. It has the feeling of an end-of-season match with not much to play for in the opening exchanges.
To be fair, Belgium do look to be up for the game and they are pouring forward whenever possible here. Lukaku again breaks clear here before trying to find De Bruyne, but his pass is just too far behind the Man City man.
England win their first free kick of the game, but Trippier's cross is too deep and goes straight out for a goal kick.
SAVE! Almost a messy second goal for Belgium as Lukaku cuts inside and tries to find De Bruyne. Maguire should cut it out but it squirms through to De Bruyne, who cuts inside and fires a shot towards goal. A deflection almost takes it away from Pickford, but he sticks out a limb to beat it away.
Belgium are in the mood today. England are being a bit sloppy in possession and Belgium are so quick to hit them on the break. If this carries on then I would be surprised if Belgium don't add to their lead sooner rather than later.
SAVE! Courtois is called into action for the first time today as Delph tries his luck from range, but he doesn't catch it too well and it is easy for the keeper to gather.
SAVE! Courtois is forced into another save here, but once again it is a routine one. This time it is to deny Loftus-Cheek, whose glancing header from Trippier's cross was easily gathered by his Chelsea teammate.
CHANCE! Big chance for Lukaku as De Bruyne slides a brilliant pass into the feet of his Manchester rival. Lukaku's control is clumsy, though, and that sends the ball bouncing into the grasp of Pickford.
Delph shows good footwork to squeeze a pass into the feet of Sterling inside the box, but the Man City winger is slow to decide on his next course of action and is eventually crowded out by three Belgian defenders.
SAVE! England have already had more shots on target than in any game since the 6-1 win over Panama, but they have all been easy for Courtois. The latest sees Maguire win a header from a corner, but he has to generate all of the power himself and can only plant his effort straight at the keeper.
Here is the only goal of the game so far, with Belgium cutting right through England courtesy of an incisive counter-attack...
CHANCE! Chance for England to level things up, but Kane's wait for a shot on target goes on! Dier pings a lovely ball over the top for Sterling, but cuts back and lays the ball into the path of Kane, who drags his effort and fires it off target when you would expect him to do better.
Good spell of possession for England here as they settle into the game more following a fairly worrying start. They have stemmed the early Belgian momentum and are very much in this game now.
Meunier does well to pinch the ball off Rose down the right flank before swinging a cross into the box, but it is just too high for Lukaku.
Good play from Hazard as he darts inside before exchanging passes with Lukaku and then laying the ball into the path of Tielemans. Tielemans goes for goal first time with a low drive, but Stones comes flying out to make a block.
Good play from Hazard as he darts inside before exchanging passes with Lukaku and then laying the ball into the path of Tielemans. Tielemans goes for goal first time with a low drive, but Stones comes flying out to make a block.
England are seeing more of the ball now, with Belgium seemingly intent on playing on the counter-attack more than anything else today. It has been more encouraging for England over the past 10 minutes or so, though.
Just as I say that, Belgium string together a long, long spell of passes to keep relentless pressure on England. It eventually comes to Hazard, who dances into a shooting position but sees his effort blocked by Maguire.
CLOSE! The resulting corner is played back to the edge of the box for an unmarked Tielemans, who completely mis-hits his first-time effort. However, the ball bounces dangerously into the box and Alderweireld hooks a powerful volley narrowly over the crossbar.
Belgium have the chance to break here with De Bruyne leading the charge through the middle. He gives the ball out to Chadli, but he clutches his hamstring and has to cut back before delivering a cross towards Hazard. Hazard takes it down but is dispossessed by Maguire before attention turns back to Chadli, who does not look like he will be able to continue here.
It looks as though Chadli will be forced off here. The physics have called for a change and it looks as though the West Brom man's hamstring has gone. His World Cup is over.
BELGIUM SUB: Sure enough there is the change as Thomas Vermaelen replaces Chadli.
England make another bright break forward as Maguire strides out of defence, but the momentum is soon lost and Belgium get men behind the ball, eventually winning it back off Sterling. England are just lacking an edge in the final third at the moment.
Belgium are looking very comfortable again now as they regain control of possession, with England being forced to chase shadows. That is what tired them out so much against Croatia in the semi-finals, and you'd have to think that fatigue will play a part if this continues in the second half.
There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: Belgium 1-0 England
The first half comes to an end in Saint Petersburg, and it is Belgium who lead England at the halfway stage of this third-place playoff.
It is a deserved lead for the Red Devils too, with England struggling to get going and struggling to get any sort of momentum going - which is perhaps understandable considering they are less than three days removed from their energy-sapping semi-final defeat.
The only goal of the game so far came after only four minutes when Belgium cut through some sloppy England defending to break the deadlock through Thomas Meunier.
Hazard, Lukaku and Chadli were all involved in the buildup, with the latter playing a low ball into the box which Meunier stroked home from close range after getting the wrong side of Danny Rose.
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Belgium have had other chances too, with Pickford making a good reaction save to deny De Bruyne and Lukaku wasting a really promising position with a poor touch after being played through by De Bruyne.
England have also had a couple of sights of goal themselves, but the only clear chance they have created fell to Kane, only for the Golden Boot leader to drag his shot wide of the target when he should have done better.
The match stats are actually quite even between the two sides, with England registering more shots on target than Belgium but all of those being easy for Courtois. You can view all of our match stats by
clicking here.
KICKOFF: England get us back underway for the second half, and they have made a couple of changes at the break with Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford replacing Sterling and Rose.
Not a great record, but if they were to pick one of those games to win then I'm sure it would have been that 1966 final!
Hazard darts forward and beats a couple of defenders with his quick feet before cutting back, but Lingard is doing his defensive duties and gets an important foot in.
England win a free kick in a deep crossing position and Trippier swings a beauty of a cross into the box. It looks destined for the head of Stones, but Vertonghen manages to get his foot to it and steer it over his own crossbar.
YELLOW CARD! You won't see a clearer yellow card than this in this tournament - Stones has two bites at bringing Hazard down and eventually manhandles him to stop a counter-attack.
YELLOW CARD! You won't see a clearer yellow card than this in this tournament - Stones has two bites at bringing Hazard down and eventually manhandles him to stop a counter-attack.
CHANCE! Poor defending from Belgium as they are caught sleeping from a simple England throw-in. Trippier's throw sends Lingard into the box, and he flashes a volley across the face of goal which Kane in inches away from getting on the end of.
CHANCE! De Bruyne threads another pinpoint pass through the defence to set up another brilliant chance for Lukaku, but once again his touch lets him down! Lukaku should be clean through on goal, but his first touch shows too much of the ball to Pickford, who comes out to gather.
This has been better from England in this second half so far. It felt as though they could take it or leave it in the first half, but they seem to be more motivated in this second half and are very much in this game now.
BELGIUM SUB: Lukaku's pursuit of the Golden Boot is over as he is replaced by Dries Mertens.
Could that be the change which secures the Golden Boot for Harry Kane? The final is still to come, of course, but teenager Kylian Mbappe or Antoine Griezmann would require a hat-trick to draw level with the England skipper.
Very good challenge from Delph as he gets a toe to the ball while sliding in on Meunier inside the box. Alderweireld and Hazard combined to lay the ball into Meunier's path, and Delph had to get his challenge spot on.
Hazard just beats players so easily. Again he dips inside and coasts past two players with ease before finally being stopped in his tracks by Dier. He is impossible to defend against at times.
England win a corner which is played to the edge of the box, but Kane completely mis-hits his effort and that gives Belgium the chance to counter. De Bruyne, Meaner and Mertens are all involved, but it eventually comes to nothing.
Loftus-Cheek bursts down the right channel and swings a vicious ball into the box, but Kane is just a yard or so off the pace at the back post. Kane has not looked anywhere near his sharpest in the knockout rounds.
SAVE! Things open up for Dier as he collects the ball around 25 yards from goal and he cannot resist the temptation to shoot, but he doesn't catch it right and his tame effort is easy for Courtois.
OFF THE LINE! Much better from England, who are so close to levelling things up! Dier and Rashford play a quick one-two to send the former clean through on goal, and he shows good composure to just dink his finish over Courtois. However, Alderweireld covers around the back and makes a brilliant sliding clearance off the line to deny his Tottenham teammate.
England's pressure has steadily grown in this second half and they are looking more and more likely to get an equaliser now. This one is far from over just yet!
CHANCE! Another sight of goal for England and Dier as he gets on the end of Lingard's dinked ball into the box, but he cannot get the direction on his header.
CHANCE! The chances keep on coming for England! Trippier swings another free kick into the box and it is no surprise to see Maguire on the end of it, but he can only plant his header wide of the near post.
Just under 15 minutes remaining for England now as they look to bring a positive end to this memorable World Cup campaign. Can they get the equaliser and force extra time?
YELLOW CARD! Maguire goes into the book for dissent at England not being given a free kick.
BELGIUM SUB: Another change for Belgium as Mousa Dembele replaces Tielemans.
Loftus-Cheek breaks into the box and shows good footwork to create a bit of space before poking the ball to Rashford, who is a little flat-footed and cannot react in time.
SAVE! My word, what a passage of play this is! Belgium hit England on the break and cut them open with some lovely one-touch, two-touch football. The ball is eventually crossed out to Meunier, who meets it with a thunderous volley, but Pickford is equal to it with a magnificent one-handed save. Excellent football all round!
Rashford picks up the ball in a couple of promising position in quick succession, but on both occasions he goes for goal himself and it is easy for Courtois.
GOAL! Belgium 2-0 England (Eden Hazard)
The game has been opening up in the last few minutes, and this was always the danger.
De Bruyne plays the ball through for Hazard, who darts across Jones before stroking his finish in at the near post. Good finish from Hazard, and that is surely game over now.
ENGLAND SUB: England make another change here - their final one of the World Cup barring an unlikely recovery - as Dele All replaces Loftus-Cheek.
Belgium aren't done here just yet - they have made a couple of bright breaks forward in the last couple of minutes and look dangerous every time they get the ball now.
Belgium are just a couple of minutes away from their best-ever finish at a World Cup and, while they may have wanted more, that is still a big achievement for the team.
There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.
FULL TIME: Belgium 2-0 England
BELGIUM FINISH THIRD AT THE 2018 WORLD CUP!
England's 2018 World Cup campaign comes to an end, then, and while it finishes with back-to-back defeats, that will not take away from what has been a memorable summer for the Three Lions - and I'm sure most fans would have gleefully accepted a fourth-placed finish had it been offered to them one month ago.
Huge credit must also go to Belgium, who have recorded their best-ever finish to a World Cup by coming third, surpassing the achievements of the 1986 team. Goals from Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard earned them a 2-0 win over England today, giving them a slice of consolation after missing out on the final earlier this week.
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Right, that is all we have time for this afternoon!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's World Cup third-place playoff as Belgium beat England to the bronze medal and record their best-ever World Cup finish in the process. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
We also have the small matter of the World Cup final tomorrow, and you can follow all of the buildup and the game itself live with us, so make sure to check back in for that!
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
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