Miami, 19 July (H.S.): England secured third place at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after defeating France 6-4 in a thrilling playoff encounter on Saturday, recording their best performance at the tournament since lifting the World Cup trophy in 1966.

England established a commanding lead in the first half by scoring four goals, putting themselves in a strong position. However, France staged a remarkable comeback in the second half by scoring four goals of their own. Despite the spirited fightback, Bukayo Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot before Jude Bellingham scored in stoppage time to seal England’s victory.

Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa were also on the scoresheet for England in the opening half, helping the team build a comfortable advantage early in the match.

France captain Kylian Mbappe scored twice in the match, taking his tournament tally to 10 goals and moving to the top of the Golden Boot standings.

With his two goals, Mbappe’s overall FIFA World Cup goal tally reached 22, surpassing Argentina superstar Lionel Messi’s record of 21 goals and becoming the highest-scoring player in World Cup history.

For France, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele also found the net, while Michael Olise provided assists for both of Mbappe’s goals.

With these two assists, Olise’s tally at the 2026 World Cup reached seven, surpassing Brazilian legend Pele’s record for the most assists by a player in a single edition of the tournament.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar