In one of the most exciting matches of the 2026 World Cup, England defeated France 6-4 to take third place. The British side were a whirlwind in the first half and went into the break 4-0 up thanks to a brace from Bukayo Saka and goals from Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa. However, the French team woke up in the second half and pulled it back to 4-3 with two goals from Kylian Mbappé and one from Bradley Barcola. Even so, they failed to equalize, and the game was decided by goals from Saka and Jude Bellingham for the British, and Ousmane Dembélé for the French.
In the first half, the Three Lions showed their best form and shone in the Magic City. Rice opened the scoring in the 3rd minute, recovering the ball in midfield, advancing with space, and finishing with a placed shot from outside the area to beat Mike Maignan. In the 18th minute, Konsa capitalized on a great cross from Rice himself, outjumped Adrien Rabiot, and scored to make it 2-0.
The third goal came in the 36th minute through Saka. After a counterattack, Marcus Rashford found himself one-on-one with Maignan, who saved the first shot. On the rebound, Saka tried to score into an empty net, but a defender cleared it off the line. The play continued, Rashford regained control and assisted Saka, who this time only had to tap it in for the first of his three goals in this match. At the end of the first half, in the 46th minute, Saka scored again after a great through ball from Eberechi Eze.
France came alive in the second half. In the 48th minute, Mbappé capitalized on an assist from Michael Olise and pulled one back. Then, in the 54th minute, Bradley Barcola drove decisively down the left flank, entered the area, and finished at the near post to beat English goalkeeper Dean Henderson. The 4-3 scoreline came in the 66th minute, again thanks to Mbappé, who played a one-two with Olise, entered the area, and finished left-footed with an unstoppable shot to reach 10 goals in this World Cup and 22 in all his World Cup appearances. With this, he became the top scorer of the current tournament and also in the history of the competition.
When everything seemed to be heading for a French equalizer, Malo Gusto fouled Djed Spence inside the French area, and Venezuelan referee Jesús Valenzuela awarded a penalty. Jude Bellingham, who had just come on, grabbed the ball and pretended to prepare to take it, but he handed the kick to Saka to complete his hat-trick, which he did emphatically.
In the 96th minute, the team that on Saturday bid farewell to the most successful coach in its history, Didier Deschamps, pulled another goal back to make it 5-4 through Dembélé. However, Bellingham sealed the 6-4 win with a stunning goal. He led a solo counterattack, drove from midfield, left Maxence Lacroix in his wake with a cut inside, dribbled past Maignan with another feint, and finished through the legs of a desperate Dayot Upamecano to give England the bronze medal.
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che pero mira si festejar que inglaterra le gana a francia dos potencias colonialistas choreandole el bronce al mundial y nosotros festejando como si fuera merito nuestro para mi bukayo saka muñeco de la corona mbappe vendido al real madrid todo armado por la fifa que asco viva la liberacion nacional
Para mí Francia siempre llorando, Mbappé dos goles y no alcanza, son unos pechos fríos. Saka les rompió el orto, esto es fútbol de verdad, no la pavada franchuta. Inglaterra con huevos, bronce bien merecido, me parece que los franceses son unos llorones de mierda.