England take World Cup third place with 6-4 win against France

England secured third place in the World Cup with a thrilling 6-4 victory over France on Saturday, July 18. The match, played in the oppressive heat of Miami, was a high-scoring affair that saw numerous changes to both teams' starting lineups.

England took an early commanding lead, with Declan Rice scoring from distance in the third minute and Ezri Konsa adding a header. Bukayo Saka then scored twice before halftime, including a penalty, to give England a seemingly unassailable 4-0 advantage. England's coach Thomas Tuchel celebrated Saka's second goal with a fist pump.

France's coach Didier Deschamps, stepping down after 14 years, described his team's first-half performance as "catastrophic" and made four substitutions at the break. The changes had an immediate impact, as Kylian Mbappe scored his ninth goal of the tournament, moving him past Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot standings. Bradley Barcola then pulled another goal back for France, with Mbappe netting his second of the game to become the all-time leading World Cup goalscorer with 22 goals.

Despite France's comeback, England extended their lead when Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot after Malo Gusto fouled Djed Spence. Jude Bellingham then scored the tenth goal of the match with an individual effort, becoming the first England player to score seven goals at a single World Cup. This third-place finish marks England's best World Cup result since winning the tournament in 1966, though they will carry memories of their semi-final defeat to Argentina.

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the first-half display had been "catastrophic"