France, England prepare for gloomy World Cup send-off
France and England will bid a gloomy farewell to the World Cup on July 18 when they face each other in the dreaded third-place play-off in Miami.
Both teams head to Florida still raw from semi-final defeats that have left both footballing nations licking wounds, which, in the eyes of many, were largely self-inflicted.
France, the tournament's outstanding team en route to the last four, were anonymous in the face of a tactical masterclass by Spain on July 14 and slumped to a 2-0 defeat.
England added another chapter to their long history of World Cup heartache on July 15 when they surrendered the initiative and a lead to lose 2-1 to Argentina in Atlanta.
