England signed off their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with the bronze medal after beating France 6-4 in a thrilling third-place playoff at Miami Stadium on Saturday. Speaking after the match, Mbappe admitted France failed to match England in the opening half but praised his teammates for fighting back after the interval.“There were two very different halves. During the first one, I can understand why some people think we made fools of ourselves and didn’t do the jersey justice. I’d say instead that we were human–and we can’t afford to be. We were completely stunned, and they really shook us awake. In the second half, we went back to being top-level players, mental machines. In the end, we didn’t win, and that’s a shame for the coach [Didier Deschamps]. We wanted to do something for him. The first half gives the impression that we let him down–that’s not at all how we wanted him to feel. That match isn’t going to tarnish Didier Deschamps’ legacy,” he said after the match, as quoted by the FIFA 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 had conceded four goals in a single half of a FIFA World Cup match.
France fight back but England finish 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 brace also helped him move past Lionel Messi to become the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading scorer 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 the curtain down on Didier Deschamps’ successful 14-year tenure as France manager.Deschamps took charge of the national team in 2012 and guided France to the FIFA World Cup title in 2018. He also led Les Bleus to the 2022 World Cup final before his final campaign ended with a semi-final defeat to Spain and a fourth-place finish after the loss to England.
