England claimed third place in the World Cup for the first time by defeating France 6-4 in an epic clash in Miami, marking the end of Didier Deschamps' 14-year tenure as head coach of Les Bleus. The match between the teams that fell in the semi-finals turned out to be a true battle of wills, with the English dominating the first half overwhelmingly, even without stars Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.
The opening goal came just three minutes in, when interim captain Declan Rice intercepted a pass from Désiré Doué and accurately shot into the opposite corner to open the scoring. Bukayo Saka had a goal disallowed for offside, but England continued to press, and Ezri Konsa headed in from a corner taken by Rice to double the lead to 2-0 in the 20th minute. The French defense was porous, with the exception of the tireless Kylian Mbappé, who was the main offensive threat for the French. Marcus Rashford stood out by dribbling past Warren Zaïre-Emery and shooting from distance, forcing Mike Maignan into an impressive save.
The English pressure resulted in a third goal, with Rashford and Saka combining in a quick play; after both attempts were initially thwarted, Rashford set up Saka, who made no mistake. Before halftime, Eberechi Eze assisted Saka again for the fourth goal, capping off a memorable first half that contrasted sharply with England's poor performance in the semi-final against Argentina. Deschamps' disappointment was evident, leading to four substitutions at halftime.
France reacted quickly and reduced the deficit with a goal from Mbappé, assisted by Michael Olise, who thus took the sole lead in the race for the Golden Shoe for 2026. Mbappé also assisted Bradley Barcola for the second French goal, bringing the Bleus closer on the scoreboard. Maignan shone by denying a header from Ivan Toney, keeping the French in the fight. In a historic moment, Olise became the player with the most assists in a single World Cup (seven), serving Mbappé for his 22nd goal in the tournament, surpassing Lionel Messi as the all-time top scorer in the competition. Mbappé is also the first since Gerd Müller in 1970 to reach double digits in a single World Cup.
Despite the comeback, France could not complete the turnaround. After Olise missed an open goal, England won a penalty when Djed Spence was brought down by Malo Gusto in the area. Saka converted the penalty coolly, completing his hat-trick and setting the final score at 6-4. This historic victory secures England the best position they have ever achieved in a third-place playoff match at the World Cup, while marking the bitter end of the Deschamps era.
O MUNDIAL 2026 VIVE-SE COM A LEGO
AGORA PODE ACOMPANHAR O MUNDIAL DE FUTEBOL COM TODA INFORMAÇÃO – AQUI
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