The third-place match of the FIFA World Cup turned into a true drama with an incredible number of goals and mood swings. The England national team, starting the game with a huge advantage, almost lost it, but in the end managed to hold on to victory and win the bronze medals. The opponent of Gary Calhoun's team was the French national team, which tried to come back but could not turn the tide of the match.
Rout in the First Half
England demonstrated the highest efficiency right from the start of the game. In the 3rd minute, the score was opened by the English captain Declan Rice, who caught the French defenders off guard. The success was short-lived but effective: just 15 minutes later, Rice showed himself again, making a precise pass to Ezri Konsa, who increased the hosts' lead to 2:0.
The second half of the first period was dominated by Bukayo Saka. First, he converted a cross from Marcus Rashford, and then, receiving a pass from Eberechi Eze, he completed a brace. By halftime, the score was a rout — 4:0 in favor of England. The intrigue in the match, it seemed, had completely disappeared.
France's Return and England's Rescue
The second half began with an unexpected surge from the French. Michael Olise organized a perfect attack, ending in a goal by Kylian Mbappé in the 48th minute. This gave hope for the continuation of the fight. Already in the 54th minute, Bradley Barcola, taking advantage of a pass from Mbappé, scored against Henderson, reducing the deficit to one goal.
In the 66th minute, the Olise and Mbappé tandem worked again: the French forward completed a brace, and the score became 3:4. It seemed that France was ready for a sensation. However, in the 87th minute, Bukayo Saka converted a penalty, returning a comfortable lead to England.
In stoppage time, the French continued to attack. Ousmane Dembélé reduced the deficit to 4:5 in the 96th minute, but on the last, 98th minute, Jude Bellingham put the final point to the match, scoring his first goal in the tournament and making the score 6:4.
Historic Achievement
The victory in this match became historic for the England national team. For the first time since 1966, when they became world champions, the English won medals at the World Cup. In 1990 and 2018, they lost the third-place matches, but this time they managed to overcome this barrier.
For France, the defeat was the first in the last three World Cups. In 2018 they won the tournament, and in 2022 they lost in the final to Argentina. Now the French team remained without medals, which was a serious blow to their reputation.
The bronze medal match will be remembered not only for the number of goals but also for the emotional struggle, which showed that even with a rout score, you cannot relax. England proved its strength, and France — its ability to fight to the end.
