England signed off their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with a bronze medal after beating France 6-4 in a thrilling third-leg tie at Miami Stadium on Saturday. Speaking after the game, Mbappe admitted France failed to match England in the opening half, but praised his team-mates for fighting back afterwards.“There were two very different periods. In the first period, I can understand why some people think that we fooled ourselves and did not do justice to the jersey. On the contrary, I can say that we were people – and we cannot be. We were very surprised, and they really shook our eyes. In the second period, we returned to being top players, ending the shame, ending the shame, and winning the machine that we did not help. [Didier Deschamps]. We wanted to do something for him. The first half gives the impression that we’ve let him down – that’s not how we want him to feel. This game will not destroy the legacy of Didier Deschamps,” he said after the game, as reported by the FIFA website.England dominated from the start and raced out to a huge 4-0 lead before half-time. Declan Rice opened the scoring in the third minute before Ezri Konsa struck again in the 18th minute. Bukayo Saka then struck twice in quick succession in the 37th and 45+1′, marking the first time France had scored four goals in one half of a game. FIFA World Cup equality.
France fought back but England finished strongly
France almost completed an impressive comeback after the break. Mbappe scored twice, while Bradley Barcola also found the back of the net to reduce the deficit to 4-3. Mbappe’s bravery also helped him overtake Lionel Messi as the top scorer in the FIFA World Cup with 22 goals.England, however, regained control late in the match. Saka completed his hat-trick in the 87th minute before Ousmane Dembele scored for France. Jude Bellingham then sealed England’s 6-4 victory with a stoppage-time goal.
End of Deschamps era
The defeat ended Didier Deschamps’ 14th spell as France manager.Deschamps took charge of the national team in 2012 and led France to the FIFA World Cup title in 2018. He also led Les Bleus to the end of the 2022 World Cup before ending his career with the defeat of the semi-final in Spain and the fourth place after defeat by England.