England fire past France in 10-goal bronze-final

Shafaq News- Miami

England secured their first World Cup third-place finish after beating France 6-4 in a record-breaking contest in Miami, with Bukayo Saka scoring a hat-trick.

Thomas Tuchel’s side produced a four-goal first half as Declan Rice opened the scoring in the third minute, Ezri Konsa headed in from a corner, and Saka struck twice before the interval.

France responded immediately after halftime. Kylian Mbappe converted Michael Olise’s pass before Bradley Barcola made it 4-2, and the France captain added his second in the 66th minute to leave England’s lead under threat.

Saka halted the comeback by converting an 86th-minute penalty to complete his hat-trick. Ousmane Dembele restored French hope in stoppage time, but substitute Jude Bellingham carried the ball from his own half and scored England’s sixth.

The 10-goal match became the highest-scoring third-place playoff in World Cup history, surpassing France’s 6-3 victory over West Germany in 1958.

Bellingham ended the tournament with seven goals, a new England record at a single World Cup, while Mbappe moved to 10 goals in the 2026 edition and 22 overall.

“We had a brilliant first half and then a turbulent second half,” Tuchel noted, praising his players’ mentality despite fatigue and a demanding travel schedule. Saka reflected that England “won the first half” and France the second, adding that the semifinal defeat by Argentina remained painful despite the podium finish.

The match was the 187th and last of Didier Deschamps' 14 years in charge of France. He leaves with 121 wins, more than any coach in the team's history