FIFA World Cup: England hammer France in 10-goal classic
· The South African
The match produced an incredible 10 goals, making it the highest-scoring third-place play-off in FIFA World Cup history. England raced into a four-goal lead before surviving a remarkable second-half comeback from France.
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ENGLAND DOMINATE FIRST HALF
The Three Lions made a dream start when Declan Rice curled a superb effort beyond Mike Maignan after just three minutes. Ezri Konsa doubled the lead in the 18th minute, rising unmarked to head home from a Rice corner.
Bukayo Saka then took complete control of the contest. The winger struck twice before the break to hand England a commanding 4-0 lead at half-time and leave France with a mountain to climb.
Didier Deschamps responded with changes after the interval, and they immediately made an impact. Kylian Mbappé pulled one back in the 48th minute before setting up Bradley Barcola to reduce the deficit to 4-2 six minutes later.
Mbappé struck again in the 66th minute to make it 4-3. The goal also saw the France captain become the all-time leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history with 22 goals. Meanwhile, Michael Olise broke Pelé’s long-standing record by registering his seventh assist of the tournament.
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BUKAYO SAKA SEALS BRONZE MEDAL
With France pushing for an equaliser, England won a crucial penalty in the 87th minute after Malo Gusto brought down Djed Spence inside the box. Saka kept his composure and completed his hat-trick from the spot to restore a two-goal cushion.
The drama continued deep into stoppage time when Ousmane Dembélé scored in the 96th minute to make it 5-4. However, England responded immediately as substitute Jude Bellingham finished a swift counter-attack in the 98th minute to seal a memorable 6-4 victory.
The victory secured the bronze medal for England and capped an outstanding campaign under Thomas Tuchel. It also brought an end to Didier Deschamps’ reign as France coach after one of the most remarkable matches in FIFA World Cup history.