England wins World Cup bronze, its best result since 1966

England achieved a historic third-place finish at the World Cup, defeating France 6-4 in a dramatic match for bronze. This marks England's best performance in the tournament since their sole victory in 1966, surpassing previous fourth-place finishes in 1990 and 2018.

The game was a tale of two halves. England established a commanding 4-0 lead by halftime, with goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and a brace from Bukayo Saka, who also scored a penalty in the second half. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson made crucial saves to deny France in the first half.

France, the two-time world champions, came alive after the break. Captain Kylian Mbappe, with an assist from Michael Olise, scored in the 48th minute. Mbappe later assisted Bradley Barcola for another goal. Olise and Mbappe combined again for a third French goal, with Olise registering his seventh assist of the tournament.

Mbappe's second goal of the match was his tenth in World Cup history, making him the all-time leading scorer with 22 goals, edging past Lionel Messi. Messi, with eight goals, still has a chance to add to his tally in the final against Spain. France reached the final in 2022 and aimed for a third consecutive final appearance but lost to Spain in the semi-finals this year. England's semi-final exit was a 2-1 loss to Argentina.