England claim third place in World Cup after 10-goal thriller against France
England's men's football team defeated France 6-4 in the World Cup third-place match on Saturday, producing the highest-scoring bronze medal game in history.
Historic bronze match
England and France played a high-scoring World Cup third-place match on Saturday, with England winning 6-4. The game set a record for the most goals in a bronze match, with a total of ten.
Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick for England, while Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and Jude Bellingham added one each. For France, Kylian Mbappé scored twice, and Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé each found the net once.
Records and achievements
Mbappé's two goals brought his tournament total to ten, making him the leading candidate for the Golden Boot. He also became the all-time top scorer in World Cup tournaments with 22 goals, surpassing Lionel Messi, who has eight in this tournament.
Michael Olise set a new record with seven assists in the tournament, surpassing the legendary Pelé.
Match summary
England started strong. In the third minute, Rice scored from distance after a French error. Konsa headed in from a corner in the 19th minute to make it 2-0. Saka scored into an empty net in the 37th minute and added another in first-half stoppage time, giving England a 4-0 lead at halftime.
France fought back in the second half. Mbappé scored in the 48th minute, Barcola in the 54th, and Mbappé again in the 66th to make it 3-4. Saka converted a penalty in the 87th minute to restore a two-goal lead, but Dembélé pulled one back in stoppage time. Bellingham then sealed the 6-4 win a few minutes later.
Context
For England, third place is their second-best World Cup result after winning the title in 1966. Both teams lost their semi-finals: England 1-2 to Argentina, France 0-2 to Spain. The final between Argentina and Spain takes place on Sunday. This is the first World Cup with 48 teams, hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
