England defeats France 6-4 to claim World Cup third place in highest-scoring match since 1982
England held on to a 4-0 lead to beat France 6-4 in the World Cup third-place playoff, the tournament's highest-scoring game in more than four decades.
England secured third place at the World Cup by defeating France 6-4, producing the tournament's highest-scoring match since 1982. The English side built a 4-0 advantage in the first half, with goals from Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, who scored twice before halftime.
France rallied in the second half, with Kylian Mbappé netting two goals as part of a three-goal surge that reduced the deficit to 4-2. Mbappé's brace took his World Cup tally to 21, surpassing Lionel Messi for the most goals in tournament history and making him the first player since Gerd Müller in 1970 to reach double-digit World Cup goals.
England restored a three-goal cushion when Saka converted a stoppage-time penalty, completing a hat-trick. Jude Bellingham added a late solo goal, sealing the win.
England's coach Thomas Tuchel opted not to make defensive substitutions in the closing stages, a decision noted by commentators. The result marks England's best World Cup finish since their 1966 victory, improving on the fourth-place finish in 2018.