England beat France 6-4 for World Cup third place
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- England beat France 6-4 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup third-place playoff at Hard Rock Stadium, racing to a 4-0 halftime lead before France mounted a second-half comeback.
- Bukayo Saka scored a hat trick and earned a 9/10 player rating, striking twice from open play in the first half before converting an 85th-minute penalty won after Malo Gusto fouled Djed Spence.
- Declan Rice opened the scoring in the third minute by intercepting Désiré Doué's pass and firing into the far corner, then assisted Ezri Konsa's header from a corner — earning a 9/10 rating while wearing the captain's armband.
- Kylian Mbappé scored twice and assisted Bradley Barcola as France pulled within 4-3, moving one goal ahead of Messi in the Golden Boot race and earning a 9/10 rating in the losing cause.
- Didier Deschamps managed his 187th and final match as France coach, making four half-time substitutions that transformed a disastrous first half into a competitive second 45.
- Jude Bellingham, introduced as a substitute, scored a stoppage-time individual goal to seal the 6-4 result after Ousmane Dembélé had cut the deficit to one.
- Thomas Tuchel received a 6/10 manager rating, with the source noting England's attacking display offered promise for the future after a tournament where defensive issues persisted.
Why it matters: The result closes both teams' World Cup campaigns — France under a departing Deschamps, England under Tuchel rebuilding — while Mbappé's Golden Boot lead over Messi and Saka's breakout tournament performance mark the standout individual storylines from a 10-goal game built on defensive collapses from both sides.
