England stars land back home after 10-hour flight following World Cup third-place thriller win over France

ENGLAND stars have landed back home after their harrowing World Cup exit at the hands of Argentina. They lifted off from Miami on Saturday night and touched down in Birmingham after seven weeks on the road together. Thomas Tuchel and co have touched down in Birmingham Credit: PA England stars landed following their heartbreaking World Cup run Credit: PA The stars filtered off the plane in their Three Lions get-up Credit: PA England fans applauded the players as they left Birmingham Airport Credit: PA The Three Lions bowed out of the tournament in Miami with a third-place – their best finish since triumphing in 1966. The ten-goal thriller against France was hailed as one of the maddest World Cup games ever. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! But it’s the heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Argentina on Wednesday night that everyone will remember. The Atlanta defeat had them packing their bags earlier than expected with the holders set to face Spain in the final this evening. READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP On the night, Anthony Gordon lifted the hopes of the nation in the 55th minute as crowds erupted with celebrations. But it was not meant to be as England dropped back and eventually Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez found the back of the net. Hanging on by the scruff of their necks, Lautaro Martinez put the nail in the coffin to send Argentina to New Jersey. Since then, Thomas Tuchel has come under fire as players and fans criticise his choice of subsitutes when Gordon took the lead. Most read in Sport WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS England’s Jordan Henderson walks down the staircase Credit: PA Elliot Anderson returns from the USA as a Man City player Credit: PA Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford disembarks the plane at Birmingham Airport Credit: PA Aston Villa star Ezri Konsa arrives back at home in Birmingham Credit: PA England fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the players outside the airport Credit: PA The England team’s plane lands at Birmingham Airport Credit: PA But it seems as the FA and the England stars have backed him until at least Euro 2028, when England co-host with Scotland, Wales, and Republic of Ireland. As England took the stage for the final time on Saturday night. Fans were not expecting much from what is usually one of the worst games of the tournament. But within three minutes, Declan Rice had burst out the gates and handed England the lead. Ezri Konsa doubled it and fans were left wondering what could have been as Bukayo Saka bagged two before the break. Assistant coach Anthony Barry delivered a tearjerking half-time interview as he roused the spirits of fans watching back home. The tides turned in the second-half as Kylian Mbappe took the lead in the race for the Golden Boot. Before long, Bradley Barcola and another from Mbappe threatened to comeback. And despite a late goal from Ousmane Dembele, Saka completed his hat-trick and Jude Bellingham characteristically scored in the depths of injury time. 1 comment1