MIAMI:
The third match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup saw a thrilling encounter between England and France that kept fans out of their seats until the last minute.
In this match full of 10 goals, England defeated France with 6 goals and 4 goals and became the third.
England produced a brilliant first half with goals from Declan Rice, Ezeri Konsa and two goals from Bokayo Saka to lead 4-0.
France trailed by four goals in the first half for the first time in any match since 1930.
In the second half, France tried to make a strong comeback. Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Bradley Barkola made the match sensational, but in the 87th minute, Bokayo Saka completed a hat-trick from the penalty spot to extend England’s lead.
Ousmane Dembele scored another goal in added time, but Jude Bellingham ended France’s hopes with a superb individual effort in the 98th minute to score England’s sixth goal.
With this win, England finished third in the World Cup for the first time since winning the 1966 World Cup, while also recording their best World Cup performance on foreign soil.
Bokayo-Saka, on the other hand, became only the second English player to score a hat-trick in the knockout stages of a World Cup after Sir Jeff Hurst (1966).
Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe’s two goals took his tally to 22 at the World Cup, overtaking Lionel Messi and becoming the top scorer in the tournament’s history, while also leading the race for the Golden Boot.
The match became the third highest-scoring play-off match in World Cup history, and France scored 6 goals for the first time in a World Cup match.
