Keisuke Honda has claimed that the third-place playoff at the FIFA World Cup should be scrapped. This comes after England beat France 6-4 in an enthralling contest in Miami on Saturday to win the bronze medal.
The Three Lions had lost 2-1 against Argentina in the semi-finals, while Les Bleus lost 2-0 against Spain. They faced off in the FIFA World Cup third-place playoff on Saturday. Both head coaches made plenty of changes to their starting lineups. This arguably indicated a lack of seriousness towards the game.
Many fans and pundits have called for scrapping the third-place playoff, including Japanese star Keisuke Honda. The versatile footballer, who starred in three FIFA World Cups, wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
Meanwhile, in the game, England produced an excellent first half, with Declan Rice (3') and Ezri Konsa (18') making it 2-0 early on. They continued to push as Bukayo Saka scored in the 37th minute, before adding another in the first-half stoppage time.
However, France bounced back in the second half, with Kylian Mbappe (48') and Bradley Barcola (54') reducing their deficit to half. Mbappe scored another in the 66th minute to make it 4-3. Saka, however, scored in the 87th minute via a penalty, after Djed Spence was fouled in the box.
Ousmane Dembele made it 4-0 in the sixth minute of stoppage time before Jude Bellingham completed the scoring two minutes later. It was a goal fest in Miami, which ended with the Three Lions winning the bronze medal.
Ahead of their FIFA World Cup third-place playoff, France head coach Didier Deschamps had said that they didn't want to play the game. He referenced their heartbreaking semi-final defeat against Spain and added that even England wouldn't want to play.
He said (h/t GOAL):
Meanwhile, the third-place playoff also marked the end of Deschamps' 14-year stint as France's head coach. He took charge in 2012 and won the FIFA World Cup trophy in 2018 and the UEFA Nations League in 2021. He also took them to the final in the last edition of the Mundial in 2022.
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