England Secures Dominant 4-0 Lead Against France in World Cup Third-Place Match
England have jumped out to a stunning 4-0 lead against France in their World Cup third-place match.
And with little at stake for either side, Thomas Tuchel chose to rest his captain and leading scorer Harry Kane, giving Arsenal’s Declan Rice the armband for tonight’s match. It’s a decision that has certainly paid off.
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Rice opened the scoring for England after just 2:14 played, firing a low, delicately-placed strike into the bottom-right corner.
It is England’s earliest goal in a competitive fixture since Luke Shaw’s opener in the EURO 2020 final vs Italy.
It is also Rice’s first-ever World Cup goal, and his eighth for England.
However, the Arsenal man wasn’t done as he swung an excellent corner onto the head of Ezri Konsa to double England’s lead.
In the process, he became the first England player since David Beckham (2002) to record two assists from corners at the same World Cup.
Coming off a title-winning season with the Gunners, Rice is only the second Arsenal player to start a major tournament game for England as captain, after Tony Adams at EURO 1996 (per Opta).
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To make the night even better for Arsenal fans, Bukayo Saka was the next to score after a complete mess from the French defence. Maignan found himself off his line and in no man’s land as Saka rolled home into an empty net.
The Arsenal winger completed his brace on the stroke of half-time, in what is turning into a complete demolition!