England secured third place in the FIFA World Cup 2026, beating France 6-4 in an extraordinary match in Miami.
Bukayo Saka was the hero for England as he netted a fine hat-trick.
Declan Rice opened the scoring for England in the third minute, and Ezri Konsa doubled the lead in the 18th minute. Saka then scored two quick goals, giving his side a convincing 4-0 lead before half-time.
France bounced back in the second half, with Kylian Mbappe netting a superb goal in the 48th minute and Bradley Barcola further reducing the deficit in the 54th minute.
Mbappe completed his brace in the 66th minute, putting pressure on the Three Lions.
However, England were awarded a penalty after Malo Gusto tripped Djed Spence. Saka made no mistake and completed his hat-trick in the 87th minute.
France were in no mood to let it go, as Ousmane Dembele scored a fine goal in the 96th minute.
Two minutes later, Jude Bellingham dribbled past multiple French defenders to seal victory for England.
Saka was adjudged the Michelob Ultra Superior Player of the Match for his incredible hat-trick.
Later, speaking to reporters, France Coach Didier Deschamps said: “It’s a loss. We were down 4-0; we played a disgraceful first half. We did show some fight, though, and there were things we did well. We had two chances to tie it up at 4-4, and after that, we pushed forward a little more… We did what we know how to do. It’s my fault; I must not have done what was needed in the first half… At least it looked like something, even if the loss hurts. Obviously, it would have been better to finish third.”
