England vs Belgium LIVE World Cup 2018: Eden Hazard goal kills off English hopes as Three Lions finish fourth
Follow all the latest action from the third-place play-off
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Your support makes all the difference.England are back in the game that no one wants to be involved in as they take on Belgium for the accolade of finishing third at the World Cup, which should they win would be their best finish at the tournament since winning it in 1966.
It will be the second time the two teams have played after meeting in the final round of group stage fixtures, where Belgium ran out 1-0 winners to secure top spot in Group G.
Adnan Januzaj scored the only goal of the game there – that may actually have cost Belgium a World Cup final spot given their tougher route – but he doesn't get a second chance to shine as Belgium named their strongest team possible in St Petersburg, with England in contract making numerous changes..
Follow all the live action below...
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What time is it?
The game kicks off at 15:00 BST in St Petersburg.
Where can I watch it?
The third-place play-off will be shown on ITV and the ITV Hub online, with coverage starting at 14:30pm BST.
Prediction
Who cares? Really, who actually remembers who was in the last third-place play-off, let alone who won it? No one wants to play in it and even fewer want to watch it. But, 2-0 Belgium.
Odds
Belgium: 6/5
England: 12/5
Draw: 14/5
"Gareth Southgate will not allow his England players to get ahead of themselves by indulging in a homecoming parade when they return from the World Cup as he believes that their work has only just begun."
By Jack de Menezes
England do of course have a recent success in third place play-offs. The Lionesses secured the bronze medal in the 2015 Women's World Cup, in jubilant scenes as they defeated their old foe Germany in extra time. Those faces look pretty delighted with the bronze medal, will Gareth Southgate's side have similiar grins at full time today?
"Years of spiralling from also-rans to a laughing stock just about had me questioning my lifelong following of England, only for this crop to pull me back from the brink."
Jon di Paolo discusses how this England team restored his 'undying faith in the national team'.
After the biggest disappointment of many of these England players careers on Wednesday night, how they react today in the bronze medal match, could define them as they look to the future and the growth of this promising generation. Can they bounce back and show maturity? Jonathan Liew investigates how inexperience became England's downfall.
As the tournament draws to a close, and both of these sides wander what might have been, what have we learnt about them?
For England, it's been a foray into the unexpected, a young squad with little expectation managed to turn a tide of public disinterest into a swirling, beer-throwing expectant nation that will welcome this team home with pride. Kieran Trippier and Jordan Pickford have been the breakout stars but Harry Kane also stepped up with an impressive number of goals on the big stage.
For Belgium, led by the unlikely figure of Roberto Martinez this 'golden generation', has gone someway to living up to it's name. The attacking trio of Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne have looked the deadliest in the tournament surpassing even the much-hyped Brazilian side.
Although they were beaten by France, many people's tip for the tournament victory, it was by the narrowest of margins, and many believed they were the better side. For some, such as Vincent Kompany this will likely be his last World Cup but his side has at least performed well on the biggest stage of all.
Does this leave England breakout star Ruben Loftus-Cheek even further down the pecking order when he returns to Cobham?
Just as we mention that front three of Lukaku, Hazard and De Bruyne, it looks as though England's defence is about to get rather familiar with them...
Courtois vs Pickford, Lukaku vs Kane, Maguire vs Kompany. Big battles, household names, perhaps this third-place play-off may surprise a few people. A reminder Courtois and Pickford are amongst the front runners for best goalkeeper of the tournament, whilst Kane and Lukaku are one and two in the race for the Golden Boot. Will this be the all-action, exciting game we were denied in the group stages?
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