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Sports July 18, 2026

England beat France 4-6 for best World Cup finish since 1966

England beat France 4-6 for best World Cup finish since 1966

England overcame a crushing semi-final defeat just three days earlier to deliver a chaotic 6-4 victory over France.

Declan Rice opened the scoring after three minutes with a curled finish from the edge of the box.

Ezri Konsa headed in from a corner to double the lead, before Bukayo Saka added two more as England dominated a disorganized French side in the first half.

England's midfielder #10 Jude Bellingham celebrates scoring his team's sixth goal during the 2026 World Cup football tournament third-place match between France and England at the Miami Stadium in Miami on July 18, 2026. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images)

Didier Deschamps, in his final match as France manager, made four changes at the interval, and Kylian Mbappe pulled one back three minutes after the restart.

Bradley Barcola then scored, and Mbappe added a second as France threatened a remarkable comeback against a tiring England.

France squandered numerous chances to equalize, notably through Michael Olise, and were punished when Malo Gusto fouled Djed Spence in the penalty area.

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Bronze Final - France v England - Miami Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S. - July 18, 2026 England's Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring their third goal IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Sam Navarro

Saka converted the spot kick for his hat-trick, restoring a two-goal cushion at 5-3.

Ousmane Dembele struck in added time to reduce the deficit to one, but Jude Bellingham sealed the win off the bench with a late sixth goal.

The match featured nine goals, broken records, and a staggering turnaround in a breathless international encounter.

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JULY 18: Kylian Mbappe #10 of France scores his team???s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Bronze Final between France and England at Miami Stadium on July 18, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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