By Maxwell Oyekunle
England claimed the bronze medal at the FIFA World Cup after defeating France 6-4 in a pulsating third-place playoff that produced ten goals and a host of memorable moments.
Bukayo Saka inspired the Three Lions with a superb hat-trick, while Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and Jude Bellingham also got on the scoresheet as Thomas Tuchel’s men bounced back from their semi-final defeat to Argentina in style.
France fought bravely throughout the encounter, with captain Kylian Mbappé scoring twice.
Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé also found the net, but Didier Deschamps’ side were unable to overturn England’s attacking dominance.
Speaking after the match, England manager Thomas Tuchel praised his players for showing character and determination to finish the tournament on a high, describing the bronze medal as a fitting reward for their resilience.
Hat-trick hero Bukayo Saka said the team wanted to leave the competition with something to celebrate and was delighted to contribute to the victory.
Despite the defeat, France captain Kylian Mbappé reached another remarkable milestone.
His brace took his overall FIFA World Cup tally to 22 goals, making him the competition’s all-time leading scorer.
The Real Madrid forward also moved to the top of the race for the adidas Golden Boot with 10 goals at the tournament.
The historic “bronze final” set a World Cup record for the highest-scoring third-place match ever, while it is England’s highest ever finish in 60 years at the tournament.
France’s MichaelOlise now has a World Cup record of seven assists, ahead of Pele’s six at the 1970 World Cup.
Attention now shifts to the World Cup final on Sunday, where defending champions Argentina will face Spain in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Lionel Messi will be hoping to inspire La Albiceleste to a second consecutive world title and also close the gap on Mbappé in the race for the tournament’s top scorer.
Edited by Titilayo Kupoliyi
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