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England signed off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a bronze medal after beating France 6-4 in a thrilling third-place play-off at Miami Stadium on Saturday. Speaking after the game, Mbappe admitted France failed to match England in the first half but praised his team-mates for fighting back after the break.“There were two very different halves. During the first half, I can understand why some people think we made fools of ourselves and didn’t do the jersey justice. I would say instead that we were human – and we can’t allow ourselves to be. We were completely stunned, and they really woke us up. In the second half, we were back to being top-level players, mental machines. In the end, we didn’t win, which is a shame for the coach [Didier Deschamps]. We wanted to do something for him. The first half feels like we let him down – we didn’t want him to feel that way at all. “That game will not tarnish the legacy of Didier Deschamps,” he said after the game, as quoted by FIFA’s website.England took complete control from the start and took a huge 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 scored twice in quick succession in the 37th and 45+1′, the first time France had conceded four goals in one half FIFA World Cup answer.
France fight back but England finish strong
France almost completed a remarkable comeback after the break. Mbappe struck twice, while Bradley Barcola also found the back of the net to make it 4-3. Mbappe’s brace also helped him overtake Lionel Messi to become the FIFA World Cup’s all-time top scorer with 22 goals.England, however, regained control late in the game. 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.
The end of an era for Deschamps
The defeat brought the curtain down on Didier Deschamps’ successful 14-year tenure as France coach.Deschamps took charge of the national team in 2012 and led France to the 2018 FIFA World Cup title. He also led Les Bleus to the 2022 World Cup finals before his latest campaign ended with a semi-final defeat by Spain and a fourth-place finish after defeat to England.
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