What a thrilling match it was! Thomas Tuchel had anticipated a strong response from his team, but the intensity with which England played against France was beyond expectations. The opening half was a whirlwind, with England scoring four times as France appeared to be merely going through the motions.
Kylian Mbappé, eyeing his second consecutive Golden Boot, was motivated to make an impact in Didier Deschamps’ final match at the helm of Les Bleus. Despite England’s early lead, featuring goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and two from Bukayo Saka, France was quick to fight back. Mbappé ignited the comeback right after the break, netting two goals following a strike from Bradley Barcola.
With this performance, the 27-year-old became the first man since Gerd Müller in 1970 to score ten goals at a World Cup. The pressure was on Lionel Messi to respond. Thankfully for England, Saka’s late penalty to complete his hat-trick, along with Jude Bellingham’s seventh goal of the tournament after coming off the bench, secured a historic third-place finish for England. This victory, while a balm for the wounds of their semi-final loss to Argentina, marked a significant moment in their campaign.
Throughout the day, Miami’s overcast skies seemed to reflect the somber mood of both teams as they tried to maintain positivity after their semi-final defeats. Mbappé, driven to honor Deschamps and his fourteen-year tenure, took to social media before the match to express gratitude. “Today is your last dance,” he wrote, paying tribute to the coach who led them to a World Cup victory in 2018.
Tuchel recently extended his contract and aims to guide England through Euro 2028 on home turf. However, following a somewhat tense pre-match press conference where he reiterated his decisions from the semi-final loss, the next two years will challenge his ability to regain the trust of England’s supporters.
Like Deschamps, Tuchel made seven alterations from the previous match. Surprisingly, Rice was appointed captain in place of Harry Kane, even though he has been nursing an injury throughout the tournament. Arsenal will be anxious about the length of time William Saliba may miss due to a back injury, particularly with Saka starting in this pivotal match.
Questions arose regarding the absence of Kobbie Mainoo from the bench; the Manchester United midfielder has yet to play during the tournament. The Football Association cited injury as the reason, even though Jordan Henderson was among the substitutes despite a broken arm he sustained while celebrating England’s win over Mexico.
Initially, France seemed to be suffering from a hangover. A careless pass from Désiré Doué in the third minute was intercepted by Rice, whose shot left Mike Maignan with no chance. Mbappé stumbled over the ball just as he was breaking through on goal, and Saka had a goal disallowed for offside following a sublime pass from Morgan Rogers. A crucial block from Maxence Lacroix halted Saka’s next advance before Konsa outmaneuvered his marker, Adrien Rabiot, to score from Rice’s corner. England clearly had something to prove.
Marcus Rashford showcased his skill by nutmegging Warren Zaïre-Emery before firing a powerful shot, which was expertly saved by Maignan. On the other end, Dean Henderson made a fantastic stop against Mbappé after he cut inside from the left, with another save initiating the break that led to England’s third goal. There was a comical element as Rashford and Saka alternated attempts at scoring, with Saka eventually finding the net. Just before halftime, Saka netted his second with a brilliant assist from Eberechi Eze, leaving France’s players in disbelief, despite Mbappé’s attempts to appear unfazed.
In response, Deschamps made four substitutions at halftime, bringing on Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola. France clawed one back within three minutes, as Mbappé finished off a through ball from Olise after England’s substitute Ollie Watkins lost possession. Soon after, Barcola was seen racing back to the halfway line with the ball after cutting the deficit to 4-2. Mbappé then netted his second after a quick exchange with Olise near England’s box, putting Tuchel’s side on the back foot.
Despite their efforts, Olise could not find the target to push the game into extra time after evading England’s defense. By that time, Bellingham and Elliot Anderson had entered the fray. Saka, who didn’t play against Argentina, converted a penalty to make it 5-3 after Djed Spence was fouled, before Bellingham sealed the deal with a powerful shot after Dembélé had found the net again for France.
- World Cup 2026
- World Cup
- England
- France
- Bukayo Saka
- Kylian Mbappé
- match reports
