In a chaotic and thrilling match in Miami, England defeated France 6-4 to claim the bronze medal at the 2026 World Cup. Both teams had suffered painful semifinal exits, with France outplayed by Spain and England collapsing late against Argentina.

England coach Thomas Tuchel left out Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham from the starting lineup, while France coach Didier Deschamps, stepping down after 14 years, omitted Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele.

Declan Rice opened the scoring for England in the third minute with a long-range strike, and Ezri Konsa headed home to make it 2-0. Bukayo Saka then scored twice before halftime, making it 4-0. Deschamps called the first-half display "catastrophic."

France fought back in the second half, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice to become the all-time leading World Cup goalscorer with 22 goals, surpassing Lionel Messi. Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele also scored for France.

Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot, and Jude Bellingham added a sixth goal for England, becoming the first English player to score seven goals at a World Cup.

By finishing third, England secured their best World Cup result since winning the tournament in 1966. France, champions in 2018 and runners-up in 2022, ended their campaign with disappointment.

Source: www.aljazeera.com