The third place match at the 2026 World Cup appeared to be a blowout, but the tide turned in the second half, leading to a thrilling 6-4 win for England over France on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
With manager Didier Deschamps admitting before the game the French didn’t want to play, Les Bleus still trotted out some of their big hitters including Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise and Mike Maignan, while England sat regular starters Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Jordan Pickford.
Despite the apparent lineup advantage, France found themselves in an early hole and the Three Lions continued to roar past the French as the first half went on.
England captain Declan Rice got the scoring started right out of the gate, launching a screamer from the top of the box past Maignan in just the third minute of the match.
It wasn’t long until defender Ezri Konsa headed in Rice’s corner to extend England’s lead to 2-0 in the 18th minute.
