Miami, 19 July (H.S.): France captain Kylian Mbappe said his team had hoped to bid farewell to outgoing head coach Didier Deschamps with a victory, but fell short after suffering a 6-4 defeat to England in the FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place playoff.

While expressing disappointment over the result, Mbappe admitted that France completely lost their way in the first half before producing a world-class response after the break.

England raced to a commanding 4-0 lead in the opening half at Miami Stadium through goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and a brace from Bukayo Saka. It marked the first time in FIFA World Cup history that France had conceded four goals in a single half.

Reflecting on the defeat, Mbappe said, The match had two completely different halves. Looking at the first half, I can understand why some people felt we made ourselves look ridiculous and failed to honour the France jersey. But we are human beings, although at this level we cannot afford such mistakes. We were completely shaken, and England overwhelmed us.

He added, In the second half, we became the top-level team again—mentally strong, composed and fully prepared. Unfortunately, we could not win the match, and that hurts even more because of Didier Deschamps. We wanted to do something special for him. After the first half, it felt as though we had let him down, but we never wanted him to feel that way. I am convinced, however, that one match can never diminish Didier Deschamps' extraordinary legacy.

France staged a spirited comeback after trailing by four goals. Mbappe scored twice, while Bradley Barcola added another to reduce the deficit to 4-3 and revive French hopes.

Mbappe's brace also saw him become the highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history with 22 goals, surpassing Lionel Messi.

However, Bukayo Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 87th minute to restore England's advantage. Ousmane Dembele pulled one back for France, but Jude Bellingham sealed England's 6-4 victory with a goal in stoppage time.

The match marked the end of Didier Deschamps' tenure as France head coach. Having taken charge in 2012, Deschamps guided France to the 2018 FIFA World Cup title, a runners-up finish in 2022, and a semi-final appearance at the 2026 World Cup. The defeat to England brought his successful 14-year spell in charge of the national team to a close.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar