England Edge France 6-4 in World Cup Classic to Finish Third

England raced into a four-goal lead before withstanding a stunning second-half comeback from France to win a tournament classic and finish third at the 2026 World Cup.
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‎The Three Lions were absolutely outstanding in the first half and raced into a 4-0 lead after goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and a brace from Bukayo Saka put England in complete control.
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‎But four changes from France at halftime saw Les Bleus look like a completely different team.
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‎By the second-half hydration break, England’s lead had slipped from four goals to just one. Kylian Mbappé scored twice to become the World Cup’s all-time top goalscorer, while Bradley Barcola also found the back of the net.
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‎Michael Olise had a massive chance to level for France but put his shot wide.
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‎That proved to be a costly miss as England went down the other end and won a penalty through Djed Spence after a foul by Malo Gusto. Saka calmly completed his hat-trick from the spot to restore England’s two-goal cushion.
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‎Ousmane Dembélé gave England something to worry about right at the death with France’s fourth goal after a brilliant pass from Dayot Upamecano.
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‎But Jude Bellingham made sure of the result in the dying embers, scoring to become England’s highest goal scorer at a single World Cup with 7 goals.
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