England have been beaten by Belgium to a fourth-place finish at the 2018 World Cup courtesy of a 2-0 victory in the third-place playoff this afternoon.
The Red Devils took the lead through Thomas Meunier after only four minutes and then wrapped up the victory eight minutes from time when Eden Hazard doubled their advantage, sealing Belgium’s best-ever finish at a World Cup.
The Three Lions produced an improved performance in the second half as they looked to reclaim their best finish since 1966, but they at the end of the day fell short to end an outstanding campaign in fourth place.
Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling as well as injury-doubt Kieran Trippier were among the players who kept their place in the starting lineup as Gareth Southgate made five changes and named the youngest England XI in World Cup history.
Belgium, meanwhile, made only two changes to the squad which lost to France in the semi-finals, and one of those saw Meunier come back from suspension.
Meunier became the 10th different player to score for Belgium at this World Cup, equalling the unprecedented record for a single competition.
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 years ago
