How to sum up such a wild, unpredictable contest? Thomas Tuchel had vowed a response, but even he couldn’t have anticipated the scale of England’s reaction, especially against a France side that seemed on holiday in a staggering first period where they let in four goals.
Still, with Kylian Mbappé chasing a second consecutive Golden Boot in Didier Deschamps’ farewell game as coach of France, that advantage – built by strikes from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and two by Bukayo Saka – nearly evaporated. Mbappé ignited the fightback right after the interval, then grabbed a second following Bradley Barcola’s goal. At 27, he is the first men’s player to hit double figures at a World Cup since Gerd Müller in 1970. Now it’s your move, Lionel.
Fortunately for England, Saka’s late spot-kick to seal his treble and Jude Bellingham’s seventh goal of the tournament after stepping off the bench meant a day that started with jeers for Tuchel from sections of the crowd finished with England securing third place at a World Cup for the very first time. The wounds from their semi-final defeat to Argentina will linger, but they at least concluded their journey with a remarkable win.
The heavy Miami skies all day reflected the somber atmosphere surrounding both sides as they attempted to show resilience following semi-final heartbreak. Beyond chasing down Lionel Messi, Mbappé and his teammates had added incentive to give Deschamps a victorious send-off after his 14-year tenure. The Real Madrid forward posted a social media message hours before kick-off, paying tribute to the coach who led France to a second world crown in 2018 and nearly repeated it four years afterward. “Today is your last dance,” he wrote.
Tuchel committed to a contract extension ahead of this tournament and has expressed his desire to steer England into a home-soil Euro 2028. Yet, following a tense pre-match press conference on Friday evening where the German firmly insisted he would choose the same approach if given another shot against Argentina, the next two years appear poised to test his capacity to repair his standing with England’s fanbase. The warm applause for Harry Kane and his teammates as they collected their bronze medals indicated that the squad’s exertions across the past five weeks were thoroughly recognized.
Similar to Deschamps, Tuchel rotated seven players from the semi-final lineup, and Rice was a surprise choice as captain over Kane, especially given he had been nursing an injury throughout the tournament. Arsenal, worried about the extent of William Saliba’s back problem and his time on the sidelines, would hardly have been pleased to see Saka in the starting eleven as well.
The omission of Kobbie Mainoo – the Manchester United midfielder yet to feature at this World Cup – from the substitutes’ bench also raised eyebrows. The FA cited an injury, even though Jordan Henderson was named among the replacements despite suffering a broken arm during the celebrations of England’s victory against Mexico.
Initially, France seemed more affected by a hangover. A wayward pass from Desiré Doué in the third minute was pounced on by Rice, and his finish gave Mike Maignan no chance. Mbappé awkwardly stepped on the ball as he raced clear on goal, and then Saka had an effort ruled out for offside after a sublime pass from Morgan Rogers. It required a block from Maxence Lacroix to deny Saka’s next surge before Konsa outjumped his marker Adrien Rabiot to head home Rice’s corner. England appeared determined to make a statement.
Marcus Rashford humiliated Warren Zaïre-Emery by slipping the ball through his legs, then fired a fierce strike that Maignan saved well. Down the other end, Dean Henderson superbly thwarted Mbappé after he cut in from the left, and another stop triggered the counter that led to England’s third goal. There was an almost comical sequence as Rashford and Saka took turns trying to find the net before Saka finally did. A superb ball from Eberechi Eze set up Saka’s second right on half-time. The French players looked shell-shocked, though Mbappé tried to shrug it off with a laugh.
Deschamps reacted by introducing four substitutes at half-time, among them Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola. Within three minutes they pulled a goal back as Mbappé converted Michael Olise’s through-ball after England replacement Ollie Watkins gave away possession. Soon after, Barcola was racing back to the center circle with the ball under his arm, having made it 4-2. Mbappé then netted his second following a one-two with Olise on the fringe of England’s box, and suddenly Tuchel’s team was seriously faltering.
Miraculously, Olise failed to find the target and force extra time after teasing England’s backline. By then, Bellingham and Elliot Anderson had been introduced from the bench, and it fell to the former – and Saka, who hadn’t featured against Argentina – to drive the final nails into France’s coffin. In between, Dembélé grabbed another goal back in an extraordinary spectacle that is bound to be remembered as the match of the tournament.
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