England Beat France 6-4 in World Cup Thriller, Record Best Finish Since 1966

By Victor Idajili

England produced a 10-goal classic to defeat France 6-4 in the third-place playoff and secure their best World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966.

The match, played on Saturday, saw the Three Lions race into a 4-0 first-half lead before surviving a wild French comeback.

 Bukayo Saka scored twice, while Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa also netted before the break to put England 4-0 up.

France responded after halftime. Captain Kylian Mbappé scored twice and set up Bradley Barcola to cut the deficit and spark hopes of a comeback.

Saka restored England’s two-goal cushion in the 87th minute with a penalty to complete his hat-trick and make it 5-3.

Ousmane Dembélé scored in added time to make it 5-4, but Jude Bellingham sealed the win with a composed finish to end it 6-4.

Despite finishing on the losing side, Mbappé ended the tournament as top scorer with 10 goals, claiming the Golden Boot.  
The France captain also became the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer with his brace.

For England, the victory marks their highest World Cup placement in 60 years.

Attention now turns to the final, where Argentina will face Spain today for the 2026 World Cup title.