England triumphed over France in a thrilling 6-4 match to finish third in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
On July 19, in Miami, Florida, England secured the victory in the third-place playoff against France.
This marks England's best World Cup performance since winning the tournament on home soil in 1966, a 60-year gap.
Despite leaving key players Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham out of the starting lineup, England took control early in the match. Declan Rice scored the opening goal just three minutes in with a long-range shot.
Building on their momentum, England doubled their lead in the 18th minute when Ezri Konsa headed in a corner kick from Rice, making it 2-0. Bukayo Saka then scored two goals in quick succession in the 37th minute and stoppage time, ending the first half with a commanding 4-0 lead.
In the second half, England faced a fierce comeback from France. Kylian Mbappe scored a goal for France just three minutes in, followed by goals from Bradley Barcola and Mbappe again, narrowing the score to 4-3.
Under pressure, England managed to score a crucial fifth goal in the 42nd minute when Saka converted a penalty kick, completing his hat trick.
Although England conceded a goal to Ousmane Dembélé in the 46th minute, Bellingham, who had been substituted in, sealed the match with a final goal, concluding the high-scoring affair at 6-4.
This match set a record for the most goals scored in a World Cup third-place playoff, surpassing the previous record of nine goals set in the 1958 tournament between France and West Germany (France won 6-3).
Despite the loss, France's star forward Mbappe made history by scoring two goals and providing one assist, bringing his total World Cup goals to 22. He surpassed Lionel Messi (Argentina, 21 goals) to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.
Additionally, with 10 goals and 4 assists in this tournament alone, Mbappe became the first player to score double digits in a single World Cup since Gerd Müller (West Germany, 10 goals) in 1970.
Currently leading the scoring chart, Mbappe's chances of winning the Golden Boot for the second consecutive tournament will depend on the outcome of the final match between Spain and Messi, who is in second place with 8 goals and 4 assists.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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