ST. PETERSBURG, Russia _ Belgium earned its highest World Cup finish by beating England, 2-0, in the third-place match on Saturday in St. Petersburg. The goals came from Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard, once in each half.
"These players didn't want to rely on talent anymore, wanted to work as a team," said Belgium coach Roberto Martinez, who has managed most of his career in England. "Their standards have been magnificent. They wanted to make the country proud."
Meunier's early goal matched a World Cup record with Belgium having 10 players score in a tournament, something done only twice before _ by France in 1982 and Italy in 2006. Hazard added the other off a pass from Kevin De Bruyne in the 82nd minute.
Both Belgium and England were playing for the seventh time in 26 days, but the Belgians entered the match with an extra day of rest.
England matched its best World Cup result _ fourth in 1990 _ since winning the tournament for the only time in 1966.
"Today shows there's room for improvement. We're not the finished article. We're still learning. We're still getting better," England striker Harry Kane said. "We don't want to wait another 20-odd years to get into another major semifinal."
Kane is still placed to win the Golden Boot with a tournament-leading six goals ahead of Sunday's final. He last scored in England's win over Colombia in the round of 16.
