The match for third place in the 2026 World Cup ended up offering much more spectacle than both teams anticipated. England defeated France 6-4 in a ten-goal match, marked by English dominance in the first half and a French reaction that was close to becoming a historic comeback.

Although the result awarded the bronze medal to the English team, one of the big news of the day was Kylian Mbappé's new record. The French captain scored a double that made him the top scorer in World Cup history with 22 goals, leaving Lionel Messi behind.

Furthermore, the Real Madrid striker reached ten goals in the current World Cup and provisionally took the lead in the Golden Boot classification. Messi still has the possibility of achieving it in the final that Argentina will play against Spain.

The preview of the match was marked by statements from players and coaches, who insisted on the lack of sporting relevance of the match after being eliminated in the semifinals. However, on the grass there was one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament.

England struck first and France reacted too late

The English team took advantage of France's defensive difficulties from the beginning. The speed of Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford created constant problems, while long passes from midfield found space behind the opposition's last line.

The superiority was quickly reflected on the scoreboard. Declan Rice opened the scoring just after three minutes with a shot from outside the area. Shortly after, Ezri Konsa extended the lead after a corner kick.

Although France managed to generate some approaches, especially looking for Mbappé, efficiency was on the English side throughout the first half. Saka scored twice more to make it 4-0 before the break.

The image of coach Didier Deschamps reflected the difficult moment of his team. At halftime he decided to modify the approach with the arrivals of Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola, in addition to making defensive adjustments.

The variants completely changed the development of the match.

France began to control the ball and began to generate constant opportunities. Mbappé led the reaction with two goals, while Barcola also found the discount after an assist from the Real Madrid attacker, bringing the score closer to 4-3 that fueled hope of a comeback.

Michael Olise also starred. Although he missed two clear chances to tie the match, he distributed two assists that allowed him to reach seven assists in the tournament, surpassing a record that belonged to Pelé.

When the tie seemed close, England found relief from the penalty spot. Bukayo Saka completed his hat trick and restored peace of mind to his team by making it 5-3.

The exchange of attacks continued until the end. Ousmane Dembélé brought France closer again, but Jude Bellingham, who came off the bench, responded with the sixth English goal to seal the final 6-4.

The match thus became the first World Cup match with ten or more goals since Spain 1982 and allowed England to say goodbye to the tournament with the bronze medal, while Mbappé left the competition with a new historical record under his arm.

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