Playing your final World Cup match one day prior to the championship game is not the assignment anybody desires.

But it’s the reality for France and England as the two countries will take the field in the third-place match on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla.

“None of our players, and none of the French players, wants to play the third-place match,” England coach Thomas Tuchel said. “They want to play the final. We gave everything to achieve it.”

England missed out on the title match after allowing two late goals to Argentina to fall 2-1 on Wednesday in the semifinals. One day earlier, France came up short when largely outplayed in a 2-0 loss to Spain.

France coach Didier Deschamps isn’t the least bit thrilled about competing for the consolation prize.

“The best thing for France and England would be for this match not to exist,” Deschamps said.

The contest will be the final one as Les Bleus coach for the 57-year-old Deschamps, whose 14-year tenure includes guiding the nation to the 2018 World Cup crown.

“I know that it’s the last match and I don’t want anybody to cry, and I don’t think anybody here will cry,” Deschamps said. “I had the privilege to go through amazing moments and to go also through some more difficult moments, so the end is coming near but life goes on.”

France star Kylian Mbappe is tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi with eight goals in the Golden Boot competition. Mbappe is the defending winner after also having eight goals in 2022.

But first, Mbappe is coping with the fact that his side didn’t reach the final.

“As the captain, I have to take all the responsibility,” Mbappe said of falling against Spain. “I have no problem with that. We wanted to go to the final. We didn’t go.”

Mbappe has 20 career World Cup goals, one behind Messi’s record.

Three other players in this match are second-hand contenders for the Golden Boot: England’s Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane have scored six goals and France’s Ousmane Dembele is a longshot at five.

Kane won the 2018 Golden Boot with six goals. This will be the final World Cup match of his “prime” as he turns 33 on July 28.

It could conceivably be his final World Cup match, but Kane isn’t ready to discuss that possibility.

“It’s too early to talk about that,” Kane said. “I mean, as a person, it’s always just about taking it year by year and how I feel. The national team is my pride and joy. It’s what I love to do most, more than anything.

“Obviously, four years is a long way away. I’m 33 in the summer, but as you saw on the other end with Messi (who is 39) there, he’s still performing at the highest level. So, I never want to put a limit on these things.”

Kane and Bellingham have had standout World Cup performances for the Three Lions despite the disappointment of not reaching the final.

Tuchel has been roundly criticized for his tactics after England went up 1-0 in the 55th minute against Argentina on Anthony Gordon’s goal.

England loaded up the back end and played passively on offense. Instead of seeking a two-goal lead, England were playing not to be tied.

The strategy was foiled as Argentina scored goals in the 85th minute and the second minute of stoppage time to dash the dreams of English fans.

“No regrets, the team gave everything, and we were very, very close,” Tuchel said. “We deserved to be up one-nil. We played one of our better matches, maybe the best match. The team was top, but we couldn’t bring it over the line. No regrets.”

–Field Level Media

Ryan Jeffers belted a go-ahead three-run home run in the fourth inning and the Minnesota Twins held on for a 5-2 win over the host Chicago Cubs on Friday night.

Trevor Larnach and Ryan Kreidler also drove in one run apiece for Minnesota, which won the opener of a three-game series. The Twins have won three games in a row after entering the All-Star break with back-to-back victories.

Seiya Suzuki went 1-for-3 with a double and a run for Chicago. Michael Busch notched the lone RBI for the Cubs.

Twins right-hander Bailey Ober (7-3) allowed two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out seven.

Cubs right-hander Colin Rea (7-6) gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits in six innings. He walked one and fanned six.

Twins right-hander Yoendrys Gomez pitched a scoreless ninth to collect his 12th save. The Cubs had the tying run on deck, but Carson Kelly flied out to the warning track in right-center field to end the game.

The Cubs opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. Busch ripped an RBI single to right to drive in Pete Crow-Armstrong, who worked a leadoff walk and stole second.

The Twins bounced back with four runs in the third.

Larnach sparked the big inning with an RBI single to left to score Luke Keaschall. One batter later, Jeffers lifted a 369-foot shot over the ivy-covered wall in left-center field for his eighth home run of the season and his first since May 17.

Chicago cut the deficit to 4-2 in the sixth. Suzuki hit a leadoff double, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch by Twins right-hander Tommy Nance.

The Twins quickly regained a three-run lead in the seventh. Austin Martin and Keaschall drew back-to-back walks, and Kreidler capitalized moments later with an RBI single to left to make it 5-2.

Cubs relievers Drew Pomeranz and Gavin Hollowell teamed up to get the next three outs as the Twins stranded runners on second and third.

-Field Level Media

Garrett Mitchell grounded an RBI single up the middle with two outs in the 10th to score Jackson Chourio from second base, giving the Milwaukee Brewers a 2-1 win in the opener of the three-game series against the visiting Miami Marlins on Friday night.

Joey Ortiz homered and singled for the Brewers, who had lost their last three games before the All-Star break, but still set a franchise record with 59 wins before the break.

Milwaukee righty Logan Henderson was trying to win his fourth straight start, but did not earn a decision after allowing one run and three hits over five innings, striking out four without a walk.

Brewers relievers Chad Patrick, Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill threw shutout innings before Craig Yoho (1-0) did the same in the 10th with Heriberto Hernandez on second base to start the inning for his first MLB win.

Griffin Conine homered and Otto Lopez had two hits for the Marlins, who had also lost their last three games before the break.

Miami right-hander Sandy Alcantara limited the Brewers to one run and three hits in six innings. The 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner struck out seven and walked four.

Lake Bachar (1-1) took the loss for Miami.

Conine waited on a full-count changeup with one out in the fifth and pulled it over the fence in right-center field for a 1-0 lead.

Milwaukee had just one hit off Alcantara when Ortiz came up with one in the bottom half of the inning and pulled a solo homer over the fence in left to tie it 1-1.

Christian Yelich followed with a double, but the Brewers would strand two runners for the second consecutive inning.

Lopez, who came in leading the majors with a .334 batting average, lined an opposite-field double down the right-field line with one out in the fourth, but second baseman Brice Turang made a backhand stop on a grounder up the middle by Kyle Stowers with two outs and Lopez at third, throwing Stowers out on the hop to end the inning.

–Field Level Media