'Multigoal' Mbappe crowned World Cup's all-time top scorer, also likely to win Golden Boot... 'Saka hat-trick' leads England to 6-4 victory over France

*This content was translated by AI.

England defeated France after a fierce back-and-forth battle.

England secured a 6-4 victory over France in the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup third-place playoff match held at Miami Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, USA, on the morning of the 19th (Korean time).

France deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation. Up front, Kylian Mbappe led the line, with Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki, and Desire Doue positioned in the second tier. The midfield was composed of Warren Zaire-Emery and Adrian Rabiot. The back four consisted of Malo Gusto, Ibrahima Konate, Maxence Lacroix, and Theo Hernandez. Goalkeeper gloves were worn by Marc Maignan.

England countered with a 4-1-4-1 formation. Ivan Toney started as the lone striker up front, while Marcus Rashford, Eberechi Eze, Morgan Rogers, and Bukayo Saka supported the attack from the second line. Declan Rice played as the defensive midfielder. The back four was made up of Jaden Spence, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, and Jarrell Quansah. Dean Henderson guarded the goal.

England scored the opening goal just three minutes into the match. Rice intercepted a pass near the center line, dribbled forward to the vicinity of the arc circle, and unleashed a surprise long-range shot. The ball found the far corner of the right side of the net, leaving goalkeeper Maignan staring blankly at it.

Despite the opening goal, England continued to press and scored another. In the 18th minute of the first half, Rice delivered a cross from a corner kick, which Konsa headed into the net. Once again, goalkeeper Maignan could only watch blankly as the ball flew toward the corner.

France's Mbappe, who is chasing the Golden Boot, repeatedly attempted shots but was unsuccessful. In the 23rd minute of the first half, Mbappe curled a shot from a distance with his right foot but slipped and missed the goal by a wide margin. After the shot, Mbappe offered an awkward smile.

England extended their lead with a third goal. In the 37th minute of the first half, Rashford passed the ball from the left side of the box toward the center, and Saka immediately connected with a left-footed shot to find the net.

England added a fourth goal during stoppage time in the first half, intensifying their attack. Saka scored his second goal of the match. In stoppage time, Konsa made a forward pass toward Saka, who was leaping. Saka then calmly struck with his right foot from the penalty line to score.

The first half ended with England leading 4-0. England dominated the flow, registering seven effective shots in the first half alone. In contrast, France appeared to have lost motivation, surrendering space and shots throughout the half while displaying a lifeless performance.

France, needing changes, made four substitutions immediately at the start of the second half. In attack, Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola were brought on, while in defense, Luca Digne and Dayot Upamecano entered the field.

France finally scored a consolation goal early in the second half. In the 3rd minute, Mbappe received an penetrating pass from Olise and calmly shot from inside the box to find the net. With nine goals in the tournament, Mbappe surpassed Argentina's Lionel Messi (eight goals) to take the top spot in scoring. Olise also became a strong contender for the assist title with six assists in the tournament.

France showed a completely different performance compared to the first half. Six minutes after their consolation goal, they scored again to narrow the gap to 2-4. In the 9th minute of the second half, Mbappe made a forward pass toward Barcola, who was sprinting into space behind the defense. Barcola immediately connected with a shot to score.

Mbappe scored his second goal of the match. In the 21st minute of the second half, after exchanging passes with Olise and Lee Dae-il, Mbappe struck a powerful shot aimed at the corner from the center of the box, shaking the net. With this goal, Mbappe reached 21 career World Cup goals and secured his place as the all-time top scorer in World Cup history. The score shifted from 0-4 to 3-4, igniting the match.

In the 42nd minute of the second half, England scored a goal to fend off France's comeback. Saka completed his hat-trick. Spence was tripped by Gusto's tackle inside the box, and the referee awarded a penalty kick. Saka, taking the spot-kick, curled a left-footed shot into the net.

The match remained intense until the final moments, with Dembele scoring for France and Bellingham scoring for England during stoppage time in the second half. The game concluded with England's 6-4 victory after a fierce battle.

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*This content was translated by AI.