England claimed third place at the World Cup for the first time after a dramatic 6-4 victory over France in Miami. The match, which served as Didier Deschamps' final game in charge of Les Bleus after 14 years, saw England dominate the first half before a frantic second-half comeback attempt from the French side.
Thomas Tuchel, who faced boos from some supporters before kickoff, saw his team take an early lead. Declan Rice opened the scoring in the third minute after capitalizing on a loose pass from Desire Doué. Ezri Konsa doubled the lead by nodding in a corner from Rice, while Bukayo Saka added two more goals in the first half to put England in a commanding position. An earlier effort from Saka had been ruled offside following a pass from Morgan Rogers.
France responded after the interval with 4-2 changes, including the introduction of Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola. Kylian Mbappé, chasing his second consecutive Golden Boot, scored twice, with Barcola also finding the net. The 27-year-old Mbappé's performance made him the first male player to reach double figures in a single World Cup tournament since Gerd Müller in 1970. Despite the pressure, England secured the win when Saka made it 5-3 with a late penalty to complete his hat-trick and a seventh goal of the tournament from substitute Jude Bellingham, who joined the action alongside Elliot Anderson.
The match was played under leaden skies in Miami, with both teams attempting to recover from semi-final exits. Mbappé had expressed public support for Deschamps prior to the match, calling it his "last dance." Tuchel, who signed a contract extension before the tournament, faced questions regarding his leadership following a tense pre-match press conference. England made seven changes for the fixture, with Rice named captain in place of Harry Kane, who was dealing with an injury. Arsenal remains concerned over the fitness of William Saliba due to a back issue, while Kobbie Mainoo was absent from the squad due to injury, despite Jordan Henderson being named on the bench with a broken arm.
Although the disappointment of England's semi-final loss to Argentina persists, the victory allowed the team to end their campaign on a high note. Michael Olise, who was instrumental in France's attacking play, was unable to force extra time despite creating several chances for his side.
Miami’s leaden skies throughout the day had matched the mood of both teams as they tried to put a brave face on things after semi-final exits. As well as his attempts to overhaul Lionel Messi, Mbappé had extra motivation along with his teammates to send Deschamps off into the sunset with a victory after 14 years at the helm. The Real Madrid star published a message on social media in the hours before kick-off thanking the man who guided them to a second world title in 2018 and came so close four years later. “Today is your last dance,” he wrote.
Tuchel signed a contract extension before this tournament and has indicated he wants to lead England into Euro 2028 in home soil. However after a tetchy pre-match press conference here on Friday night when the German doubled down on the conviction that he would make the same decisions again given the chance against Argentina, the next two years look set to be a test of his ability to rebuild his reputation among England’s supporters.
