France 4-6 England: Three Lions win World Cup wooden spoon with bonkers but brilliant performance that might just vindicate Thomas Tuchel, writes CRAIG HOPE

Steelman: both sides, in good faith

The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.

The case for

Supporters of Tuchel's position argue that a 6-4 away victory, delivering a stack of goals and a fighting response just days after a damaging defeat, shows the squad still plays for him and can produce moments of real quality under his management. They contend that international football is inherently unpredictable, that wild scorelines reflect the players' application rather than tactical failure, and that judging a manager solely on isolated results before he has had time to properly settle his system is premature and unfair.

The case against

Critics maintain that a chaotic 6-4 scoreline, in a dead-rubber finishing sixth in the group, is hardly proof of tactical soundness – conceding four goals points to defensive fragility that a serious contender cannot afford. They argue that one entertaining but unstructured win days after a heavy defeat does not erase a pattern of inconsistent results and unconvincing performances, and that genuine vindication would require sustained discipline and control rather than an open, end-to-end contest that could easily have gone the other way.