England defeated France 6-4 in a high-scoring World Cup third-place play-off match on Saturday, securing their best finish in the tournament since 1966. The match, held in Miami, saw Bukayo Saka score a hat-trick for England, while Kylian Mbappé netted two goals for France, breaking a World Cup scoring record.
The first half was dominated by England, who established a commanding 4-0 lead. Declan Rice opened the scoring early with a long-range effort. His inswinging corner then found Ezri Konsa, who headed home to double England‘s advantage. Bukayo Saka added two more goals before the break, capitalizing on a counterattack and then scoring another after receiving a pass from Eberechi Eze.
France, despite a strong defensive record leading up to this match, conceded four goals in the opening 45 minutes. The performance of goalkeeper Mike Maignan was noted, with some suggesting he could have saved at least two of the goals and appeared positionally awkward at times. This early onslaught put England in a strong position, seemingly with one hand on the bronze medal.
France’s second-half resurgence
The second half saw a dramatic comeback attempt from France. Kylian Mbappé initiated the resurgence almost immediately after the restart, scoring from a counterattack to make it 4-1. Bradley Barcola followed with another goal, further narrowing the deficit. Michael Olise then assisted Mbappé for his second goal, bringing the score to 4-3 and putting pressure on England.
Mbappé‘s two goals in the match were significant, as they took his career World Cup goal tally to 22, surpassing Lionel Messi to become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer. At 27 years old, this is an impressive achievement. His 10 goals in this tournament also placed him in control of the Golden Boot race, two ahead of Messi.
Michael Olise also made an impact, tying Pelé‘s record for the most assists in a single World Cup with his sixth assist of the competition. However, Olise also missed two clear chances that could have brought France level, which he might regret.
England secures victory
Despite France‘s strong second-half fightback, England managed to hold on for the win. In the 87th minute, Malo Gusto fouled Djed Spence in the box, leading to a penalty for England. Bukayo Saka calmly converted the penalty, completing his hat-trick and giving England a 5-3 lead. This was Saka‘s first hat-trick of the competition, and his composure from the spot was highlighted, especially given his past experiences with the national team.
France continued to push, with Ousmane Dembélé scoring their fourth goal due to what was described as poor defending from England. However, England‘s early advantage proved too substantial to overcome. Substitute Jude Bellingham sealed the victory with a late strike, dribbling past three defenders before beating Maignan to make the final score 6-4. This was Bellingham‘s seventh goal of the tournament, setting a new England record.
The match’s total of 10 goals set a new record for a third-place play-off match, surpassing the 6-3 result between France and West Germany in the 1958 tournament. England‘s victory secured them third place, a significant improvement after losing the play-off in 1990 and 2018. Lionel Messi will have another opportunity to add to his tallies in Sunday’s final when Argentina faces Spain at New York New Jersey Stadium.
Source: goal.com
