England beat France in 10-goal thriller as Kylian Mbappé takes command of Golden Boot race
Mike McGrath
Miami: England played the wildest match of the World Cup, beating France in a 10-goal thriller on Saturday (Sunday, AEST) to win the bronze medal.
At one stage they looked to have achieved their best finish in the tournament since the 1966 win as they overturned a four-goal deficit at the Hard Rock Stadium to claim a 6-4 victory.
A look at the madness in Miami in the third-place playoff.
attack intent
Eyebrows were raised when Declan Rice was selected despite his 68 appearances earlier this season. He described it as an “obscene” number of games, but was asked to make one last effort and within the first few minutes he rushed forward, intercepted a pass and curled into the bottom corner to start the scoring.
But England wasn’t done; There was no way they could lose their lead like they did against Argentina. England manager Thomas Tuchel’s attackers were running forward and getting in behind the French defense with overhead balls. Ezri Konsa and Bukayo Saka (twice) were on the scoresheet at half-time.
The French are not coming
No matter how good England were in the first 45 minutes, it was clear that France, who had lost to Spain in the semi-finals earlier in the week, were already on the field. The players, accustomed to high-intensity pressing, allowed the white jerseys to pass them by with the ball.
At halftime, Saka had run 1.4 km more than Kylian Mbappe. This was Didier Deschamps’ last game against Les Bleus, but the players treated it like an exhibition game. No moves, no tricks and no defense.
Best part time interview
The half-time interview is another of FIFA’s new ideas. They were largely anesthetized, except when Anthony Barry was on camera. Analyzing England’s first 45 minutes, Tuchel’s assistant was a breath of fresh air with his honesty and could not hold back his tears.
“I’m a little emotional, I can’t find the words to describe how proud I am of these players,” Barry said. “They are playing with broken hearts on the field. I see 11 children with broken hearts on the field. I have seen them in the hotel for the last few days; their hearts are broken.”
France is shifting gears
France decided to pick up the tempo after half-time and Deschamps called on Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola from the bench to lead the attack. Despite being four goals ahead, England fell just short. Mbappe decided to come too, pulling one back and celebrating with his body language implying: We’re still in this. Barcola also found the net.
This was Didier Deschamps’ last game against Les Bleus, but the players treated it like an exhibition game.
Mbappe takes command of Golden Boot race
Mbappe’s double means he overtook Lionel Messi as the top scorer in World Cup history with 22 goals. There is a question mark over whether goals in the third-place play-off should count, but as things stand they certainly do. The Frenchman currently has 10 points in this tournament, two ahead of Messi, who will play in Sunday’s final.
It was the first time since Gerd Müller for West Germany that a player reached double figures in a tournament. Michael Olise scored twice, making the former Crystal Palace midfielder the most creative World Cup player of the last 60 years with seven assists.
England failed to learn from the semi-final
This resulted in England’s victory, but there were also red flags about France being allowed back into the game. Tuchel’s team is in a deep slump, just as it was when they took the lead against Argentina in Atlanta. Tuchel says one of the biggest problems England face is how they play under pressure. And when France started to try, they subjugated England again.
…but crossing the line
During the final 11 minutes, Tuchel called up the “starters” who were resting on the bench. Jude Bellingham’s entry into the game delighted the neutral fans.
Elliot Anderson also came off the bench and tried to keep the ball in midfield and changed England’s formation from 4-4-2. The person who won the penalty at a moment when the game was in balance was Djed Spence, one of England’s star players of the tournament.
Saka’s history-making hat-trick
Bellingham “guards the ball” during penalties, standing on the pitch and holding the ball so opponents can’t get into the ear of England’s main receiver. He had done this for Harry Kane earlier in the tournament. However, with Kane rested, Saka scored a hat-trick from the penalty spot. The Arsenal striker was an unused substitute against Argentina but made history with his hat-trick there, becoming the first England player to score a hat-trick in the World Cup, alongside Geoff Hurst, Gary Lineker and Kane.
Downtime chaos
Dembele made a frantic preparation in the final few minutes when he found the net and ended a counter-attack initiated by Dayot Upamecano. There was still time for Bellingham to round off his remarkable goal with a superb goal, breaking through the France defense and leaving the goalkeeper stunned.
Telegraph, London
