France were beaten 6-4 by England in a pulsating 10-goal thriller in the 2026 FIFA World Cup third-place playoff.
Despite a strong second-half performance, Les Bleus were unable to overturn a massive four-goal first-half deficit as Didier Deschamps' final match as head coach ended in a defeat.
Les Bleus were absolutely decimated by England in the first 45 minutes as they trailed 4-0. Declan Rice drew the first blood after only three minutes before Ezri Konsa doubled their advantage from a corner.
Bukayo Saka joined the party soon after, making it three for the Three Lions after 35 minutes before netting another one in the added minutes as France were shell-shocked.
Deschamps, overseeing his last game with the national team before stepping down, made a slew of changes at the break and it worked, with the two-time champions looking stronger and more menacing.
Kylian Mbappe netted a brace, either side of a goal from substitute Bradley Barcola, to put France within touching distance of England. However, the latter went 5-3 up when Saka converted a penalty in the 87th minute.
There was more drama to follow in stoppage-time though, with Ousmane Dembele coming off the bench to score a wonderful strike although Jude Bellingham scored a sixth at the other end to restore England's two-goal cushion and win the bronze medal.
Here are the player ratings for France:
What a disastrous outing for the France goalkeeper, who could have used a tougher defense in front of him during that calamitous first half. He produced a point blank save on Rashford and another close save in the second half but couldn't keep out Saka's penalty.
The Chelsea man was troubled by Marcus Rashford in the first half before conceding a penalty to England with a mistimed challenge on Djed Spence.
Boy, what a humiliation! England eased past Konate like he's a training cone as the Liverpool ace was completely lacking in pace and positional awareness. Deschamps put him out of his misery at the break.
The 26-year-old managed to salvage some pride for himself amid a pathetic defensive show by France, making four clearances and blocking four shots while dominating his aerial duels.
This has to be one of his worst performances ever in a France shirt. Always trailing in challenges and looking completely helpless as England cut through their defense. He barely ever got forward, but whenever he did, offered nothing meaningful.
The PSG man made seven recoveries to impede England but was mostly overrun by England and could never really assert himself on the match.
He offered no resistence in midfield and was second-best in most of his duels too. Also beaten in the air for England's second goal.
France's creative wizard bagged two more assists on the day, setting up both of Mbappe's goals to equal Pele's record for most number of assists at a single World Cup edition with six. He could have added the cherry on the top with a couple of goals too, but missed two big chances late on.
He linked up nicely with his attacking cohorts whenever France looked to go forward but England held firm.
A complete no-show in that forgetful first half. Doue was also reponsible for England's opening goal of the match and was taken off at the break.
He was nowhere to be seen in the first half but like the rest of his teammates, burst to life after the break, assisting Barcola's goal and then scoring twice to give England a real scare. All-time top-scorer in World Cup history with 22 goals and the frontrunner for a second consecutive Golden Boot too.
Added some much-needed solidity to France's defense in the second half but was beaten in the build-up to England's sixth.
Looked composed and held his ground well.
Scored the fourth for France and his sixth of the World Cup.
Triggered France's comeback in the 54th minute with a confident finish.
Came on late and did not have enough time to make a big impact.
Quick Links