England Defeat France 6-4 to Finish Third as Mbappe Breaks World Cup Scoring Record

England claimed third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a thrilling 6-4 victory over France on Saturday in one of the tournament’s most entertaining matches.

The high-scoring encounter saw Bukayo Saka net a superb hat-trick, while Jude Bellingham made history by becoming the first England player to score seven goals at a single FIFA World Cup.

Despite the entertaining contest, both teams were left reflecting on missed opportunities after falling short of Sunday’s final. England were eliminated by Argentina in dramatic fashion, while France’s hopes ended following a semi-final defeat to Spain.

Speaking after the match, Saka admitted England’s semi-final loss remained painful but praised his teammates for responding positively.

“When you lose there’s always going to be noise, and when you win there’s noise too. It’s about how you respond, and today we finished strongly,” the Arsenal winger said.

England made a dream start under the Miami heat as Declan Rice opened the scoring with a powerful long-range effort in the third minute before Ezri Konsa doubled the advantage with a well-taken header.

Saka then took centre stage, scoring twice before halftime to give the Three Lions a commanding 4-0 lead and leave France facing an uphill battle.

France manager Didier Deschamps, taking charge of his final match as head coach, described his team’s first-half performance as “catastrophic” and responded with several substitutions after the break.

The changes had an immediate impact.

Kylian Mbappe pulled one goal back early in the second half before Bradley Barcola added another to spark hopes of a remarkable comeback.

Mbappe struck again moments later, finishing confidently from Michael Olise’s assist to register his 22nd World Cup goal, surpassing Lionel Messi as the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.

England restored their cushion after Malo Gusto conceded a penalty by fouling Djed Spence inside the box. Jude Bellingham handed the spot-kick to Saka, who calmly converted to complete his hat-trick.

France continued to push forward, with Ousmane Dembele scoring a late fourth goal, but Bellingham sealed the victory with a brilliant solo effort to make it 6-4 and cap an unforgettable contest.

The win secured England’s best World Cup finish since lifting the trophy in 1966.

For France, the defeat marked the end of Didier Deschamps’ successful tenure, during which he guided Les Bleus to the 2018 FIFA World Cup title and a runners-up finish in 2022.

Attention now turns to Sunday’s final, where defending champions Argentina will face European champions Spain in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy on the line.

Junenaija

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