France 4-6 England: Mbappe scores brace as Three Lions win 10-goal World Cup third-place thriller
By Kiplagat Sang, July 19, 2026In what can easily be described as the craziest World Cup game ever, England and France clashed in a third-place showdown that saw 10 goals scored on Sunday.
England emerged the winner with a 6-4 scoreline despite a late pushback by the Les Bleus. The Three Lions secured the bronze medal at the 2026 tournament, whose final will be played on Sunday night between Argentina and Spain.
England took the lead less than three minutes in with Declan Rice’s long-range goal, before Ezri Konsa headed home Rice’s corner 15 minutes later to double the Three Lions’ lead. Bukayo Saka added two before the halftime whistle as England took a stunning 4-0 lead into the break.
Kylian Mbappe found the back of the net a few minutes after the halftime break, and Barcola scored 10 minutes later to cut England’s lead to 4-2.
Mbappe scored again in the 66th minute to pull France within one and make him the all-time leader in World Cup goals. But Saka converted a penalty in the 87th to restore the two-goal advantage. Dembele responded in stoppage time to give France hope again and make it 5-4.
However, Jude Bellingham scored in the 98th minute to seal the win for England and secure the team’s best World Cup finish since winning it all in 1966.
Records
The 10 combined goals were the most in a World Cup game since 1982.
Mbappe’s two goals also took him to 10 for the tournament and into the lead in the Golden Boot race.
Michael Olise assisted both goals, taking his tally to seven and breaking Pele’s record for the most assists at a single World Cup, which had stood since 1970.