England wrapped up their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with the bronze medal after beating France 6-4 in a thrilling third-place finish at the Miami Stadium on Saturday. Speaking after the match, Mbappe admitted that France did not match England in the opening half, but praised his team-mates for fighting back after the interval.“There were two very different halves. During the first, I can understand why some people think that we made a fool of ourselves and we didn’t do justice to the jersey. I would say instead that we were human – and we could not allow ourselves to be. We were completely stunned, and they really shook us awake. In the second half, we returned to the end of the players, and we returned to the end. win, and this is a shame for the coach [Didier Deschamps]. We want to do something for him. The first half feels like we’ve dropped it – that’s not how we want it to feel. This match did not erase Didier Deschamps’ legacy,” he said after the match, as quoted by FIFA’s website.England took complete control from the start and raced to a massive 4-0 lead before half-time. Declan Rice opened the scoring in the third minute before Ezri Konsa doubled the lead in the 18th minute. Bukayo Saka then struck twice in quick succession in the 37th and 45+1′, making it the first time France have conceded four goals in a single half of a round. FIFA World Cup match.
France fought back, but England finished strong
France almost completed a remarkable comeback after the break. Mbappe scored twice, while Bradley Barcola also found the net to reduce the deficit to 4-3. Mbappe’s strike also helped him overtake Lionel Messi to become the all-time top scorer at the FIFA World Cup with 22 goals.England, however, regained control late in the match. Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 87th minute before Ousmane Dembele scored for France. Jude Bellingham then sealed England’s 6-4 victory with a stoppage-time goal.
End of an era for Deschamps
The defeat brought down the curtain on Didier Deschamps’ successful 14-year tenure as France manager.Deschamps took charge of the national team in 2012 and led France to the FIFA World Cup title in 2018. He also led Les Bleus to the finals of the 2022 World Cup before their final campaign ended with a semi-final defeat in Spain and a fourth-place finish after losing to England.