Best England team for a long time? That's a fact, says Rice

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Declan Rice captained England in their 6-4 win over France in Miami By Emma Smith BBC Sport journalist Published 10 minutes ago "This is the best England group for a very long time. That's a fact. No one can take that away from us." England's thrilling 6-4 win against France secured the Three Lions a World Cup bronze medal - their best finish since they won the trophy in 1966 - and left Declan Rice adamant major tournament success is "close". Despite the criticism of Thomas Tuchel's tactics since their painful semi-final collapse against Argentina, stand-in captain Rice was quick to praise England's efforts at the tournament. He added: "I think we can be proud as a group - we are just gutted we lost in that semi-final. "We're tired of saying we're proud of coming in semi-finals and quarter-finals - we want to win with England ultimately. But to come third in this tournament is a real achievement. "We're so close, honestly. There's been so much talk about this group over the last few years going out of tournaments. There's been semi-final exits, quarter-finals, finals. "I think we need to keep going. I do think it's close. It's a game of small margins. It's football and the other night we lost on margins and in the boxes." England's best World Cup for 60 years - but how should it be judged? Published 2 hours ago One of World Cup's all-time classics - England stun France in thriller Defiant Tuchel defends decisions and says loss is 'scar we carry now' Published 23 hours ago 'They're playing a game with broken hearts' To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, England beat France in 10-goal thriller to win third-place play-off But what will it take to move England to the top of the podium at a major tournament? The old chestnut of the England team not wanting it enough, not having enough pride or passion, cannot be seen here. The players were clearly delighted with their bronze medals, collected on a podium in Miami then proudly paraded for the travelling fans. Behind the squad's pride are raw emotions, which were bared by assistant manager Anthony Barry during his half-time interview with BBC One on Saturday night - conducted when England were 4-0 up. "There's no frustration. I'm a little bit emotional," said Barry, with tears in his eyes and a shaking voice. "I can't find the words to describe how proud I am of these players. They're playing a game with broken hearts. I see 11 lads on the field with broken hearts. "I've seen them in the hotel the last few days with broken hearts. And they can build a performance like that through pride of playing for England. "The team spirit over the last seven weeks has been a privilege to watch. I know what the cynics will say - 'it's too late' - but we're still playing against a world-class opponent. And that 45 minutes, I'm so proud of the boys." 'I don't think that we lost the trust' Image source, Ge