England secure historic third place with 6-4 victory over France
Bukayo Saka’s hat-trick and Declan Rice’s double anchor England’s best World Cup finish since 1966 as France fight back to no avail
England have secured their highest finish at a FIFA World Cup since their 1966 triumph, defeating France 6-4 in the third-place playoff at Miami Stadium on Saturday. The result confirms England’s best performance in the tournament’s history, concluding the campaign for the two semi-final losers with a dramatic contest that featured a commanding first-half display followed by a late French resurgence.
The Three Lions established a dominant 4-0 lead by halftime, driven by a standout performance from Declan Rice and a brace from Bukayo Saka. Rice opened the scoring in the third minute after intercepting a pass from Désiré Doué, before providing the assist for Ezri Konsa’s header to double the advantage. Saka added two more goals before the break, capitalising on England’s attacking fluidity to put them firmly in control.
France manager Didier Deschamps, managing his 187th and final match in charge of the national team, responded with four substitutions at the interval. The changes had an immediate impact, with Kylian Mbappé reducing the deficit to 4-1 and assisting Bradley Barcola for France’s second. Mbappé then scored again to make it 4-3, bringing his career World Cup goal tally to 21 and surpassing Lionel Messi for the most goals in tournament history.
Despite France’s efforts to close the gap, England maintained their composure. Saka restored the two-goal cushion from the penalty spot after Djed Spence was fouled in the box, and Ousmane Dembélé scored a late consolation for the visitors. The victory was sealed in the 98th minute when substitute Jude Bellingham scored an impressive individual goal to make it 6-4.
The match also served as the final appearance for Mbappé in the World Cup. While France’s defensive line struggled to contain England’s attackers in the first half, particularly against Saka and Marcus Rashford, they showed improved stability after the restart. England manager Thomas Tuchel’s side will now look ahead to the final scheduled for Sunday in New Jersey, having secured a historic podium finish.
