England secured a dramatic 6-4 victory against France in the 2026 FIFA World Cup third place play-off at the Miami Stadium on Saturday evening.

Declan Rice opened the scoring for England just three minutes into the match. He intercepted a pass from Desire Doue at the halfway line and skillfully found the bottom corner.

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Marcus Rashford came close to extending the lead, but his shot was deflected for a corner by Malo Gusto.

Bukayo Saka believed he had scored after a swift run on goal, but his effort was disallowed for offside.

Ezri Konsa increased England’s lead to 2-0 in the 18th minute, heading in Rice’s corner past goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

Saka finally found the net in the 37th minute, steering Rashford’s pass into an unguarded goal.

Just before halftime, Saka struck again, finishing off a pass from Eberechi Eze to place the ball into the far corner.

Three minutes into the second half, Kylian Mbappe reduced France’s deficit, recording his ninth goal of the tournament.

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The Real Madrid star then turned provider in the 54th minute, assisting Bradley Barcola, who slotted the ball past Jordan Henderson to make it 3-1.

Mbappe brought France to within one goal after the hour mark, combining with Olise before scoring into the bottom corner. This goal made him the World Cup all-time leading goalscorer.

Olise missed a crucial opportunity in the 80th minute, missing the target from a promising position.

With four minutes remaining, Saka restored a two-goal lead for England, converting from the penalty spot, before Ousmane Dembele pulled one back for France.

Jude Bellingham capped off England’s remarkable performance with a stunning individual goal just before the final whistle.