ISTANBUL: England defeated France in a historic 6-4 victory to claim third place at the 2026 Fifa World Cup at Miami Stadium in the US.
England made a perfect start to the match, taking the lead after just three minutes, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
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Declan Rice capitalised on a misplaced pass from Desire Doue, drove purposefully toward the France penalty area and unleashed a thunderous right-footed strike into the net. It was England's earliest goal in a competitive match since Luke Shaw scored inside two minutes of the Uefa Euro 2020 final against Italy.
The Three Lions doubled their advantage in the 18th minute with Ezri Konsa. The defender rose above Adrien Rabiot to meet the cross with a powerful header, and with nobody covering the post, Mike Maignan could only watch as the ball flew into the net.
England added a third in the 37th minute following a lightning-fast counterattack. Dean Henderson's outstanding save sparked the move, with Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka initially denied before the Arsenal winger seized a second opportunity and calmly slotted home.
Saka struck again deep into first-half stoppage time to complete his brace. Eberechi Eze threaded a perfectly weighted pass into the winger's path, and Saka allowed the ball to run across his body before guiding a composed finish into the corner in the 45+1st minute.
England ruthlessly exploited France's defensive frailties, racing into a four-goal lead by the interval, with Saka's double the standout contribution. It was the first time France conceded four goals in the opening half of a match since a European Championship qualifier against Yugoslavia in April 1968.
France responded almost immediately after the restart. Kylian Mbappe pulled one back in the 48th minute, finishing clinically to give Les Bleus renewed hope after a much-improved start to the second half.
The comeback gathered momentum six minutes later when half-time substitute Bradley Barcola finished off a devastating counterattack with a powerful strike in the 54th minute.
France reduced the deficit further in the 66th minute with another superbly crafted move. Mbappé and Michael Olise exchanged slick one-twos on the edge of the area before the France captain turned and swept a precise finish into the bottom corner.
The goal moved Mbappé two clear of Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot and left him one ahead of the Argentine on the tournament's all-time scoring list.
As it looked like France might be catching up to England, Saka scored a hat-trick after converting a penalty given to Spence going down after a foul from Gusto in the 87th minute.
Once again, however, Les Bleus did not give up; Dembele fired home thanks to some good work from Upamecano in the 90+6th minute to give France a fighting chance.
As France pressed for the equalizer, disaster struck. Jude Bellingham, bursting forward and driving past the halfway line, beats Maxence Lacroix once he dribbled into the area, and slammed a shot into the bottom corner for the 10th goal of the match and England’s sixth in the closing minute of the match.
England claimed third place in the 2026 World Cup, achieving the best standing since their 1966 championship, while France completed their tournament run in fourth.
