- Bukayo Saka scores hat-trick in playoff victory.
- Bellingham becomes the first English player to score seven.
- Mbappé is ahead of Messi in the World Cup rankings.
England beat France 6-4 in a chaotic third-place World Cup match on Saturday, as Kylian Mbappe became the all-time top scorer in World Cup history.
Both teams had higher aspirations in the 2026 tournament but suffered painful semi-final exits: France were dominated by Spain while England collapsed late against Argentina.
Both coaches made multiple changes for the game in the oppressive Miami heat, with many stars on the bench at the start.
England boss Thomas Tuchel left Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham out of his starting line-up while Deschamps, leaving after 14 years at the helm, omitted Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice put England ahead with a goal from distance in the third minute and Ezri Konsa headed home to make it 2-0.
Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise posed a threat as France looked for a way back into the game, but they found England’s second-choice goalkeeper Dean Henderson in fine form.
The match threatened to become an embarrassment for France when Bukayo Saka made it 3-0 after a quick break.
And it was 4-0 in first-half stoppage time when Saka scored his second goal of the match, celebrated with a punch from Tuchel.
French coach Didier Deschamps told French television channel M6 that the first half had been “catastrophic”, calling on his men to show pride.
He made four changes, bringing on Dembele, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Digne and Barcola and was rewarded almost instantly when Mbappe scored his ninth goal of the tournament to leapfrog Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot standings.
The match had now completely changed its face and Barcola scored another goal, while Deschamps clenched his fist on the bench.
Mbappe then scored his second goal of the match to become the all-time top scorer at the World Cup with 22 goals – turning in Olise’s pass.
This gives him two leads over Messi in the race to finish top scorer in the 2026 tournament.
France wasted a number of chances to equalize and England had the chance to extend their lead when Malo Gusto brought down Djed Spence in the penalty area.
Saka stepped up and converted to complete his hat-trick.
There was still time for Dembélé to score a fourth for France, but Bellingham then stepped forward to score the 10th goal of the match with an individual effort.
In doing so, Bellingham became the first English player to score seven goals at a World Cup.
By finishing third, England achieved their best World Cup result since winning the tournament in 1966, although they will have bitter memories of losing to reigning champions Argentina.
Deschamps led France to World Cup glory in 2018 and finished second four years ago.
Les Bleus were favorites to win the 2026 tournament after a sensational start, but were well beaten 2-0 by Spain in the semi-final.
Three-time European champions Argentina will face European champions Spain in the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday.
