England beats France 6-4 in World Cup playoff
- News Sports
Otaria Benjamin- 0
- 3 minutes read
England players on the podium during the medal ceremony after winning the World Cup Bronze Final.
England finished third at the World Cup after a 6-4 victory over France in the third-place playoff in Miami on Saturday.
Kylian Mbappe scored twice, taking his tournament tally to nine and becoming the all-time leading World Cup goalscorer with 22 goals, moving ahead of Lionel Messi.
Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick for England, while Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and Jude Bellingham also scored. Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele scored for France.
The match was played in oppressive heat at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. England coach Thomas Tuchel left Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham out of his starting line-up. France coach Didier Deschamps, who is stepping down after 14 years, also made several changes, dropping Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele from the starting eleven.
France coach Deschamps told French television that his team’s first-half display was “catastrophic” and urged his players to show pride. France were 4-0 down at half-time. Deschamps made four changes at the break, bringing on Dembele, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Digne and Barcola. The changes paid off almost immediately when Mbappe scored his first goal of the match.
The game changed complexion as France pushed forward. Barcola pulled another goal back, and Mbappe then netted his second of the game to break the World Cup scoring record. France created several chances to equalise but could not find the net. England were then awarded a penalty, which Saka converted to complete his hat-trick.
Dembele scored a fourth for France before Bellingham added England’s sixth with an individual effort. Bellingham’s goal made him the first England player to score seven goals at a World Cup.
The result marks England’s best World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966. France, who won the tournament in 2018 and finished as runners-up in 2022, were beaten 2-0 by Spain in the semi-finals.
Argentina will face Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Argentina are the defending champions, having won the tournament in 2022.
SOURCE: Reuters
