MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) – England and France put on a thriller in a World Cup match that was supposed to be on the back burner.
The day before Lionel Messi and the Argentina national team play defend your title In the long-awaited final, Bukayo Saka scored three goals as England defeated Kylian Mbappé and France 6-4 in a tight match for third place.
mbappe He scored two goals in the second half, surpassing Messi’s World Cup goals record. The 27-year-old star has scored 22 goals in his career and 10 at this World Cup, putting him two ahead of Messi in the Golden Boot race.
It was the highest-scoring match at a World Cup since Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in 1982, and the 10 goals were the most for a third-place match.
Saka scored in the 37th minute and in first-half stoppage time, and added a third from a penalty in the 87th minute, completing his second hat-trick for England. The Three Lions also built a 4-0 half-time lead with goals from Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa, and withstood a relentless French attack in the second half to secure their second-best result at the World Cup. England won their only title in 1966.
“I hope the players can be proud of that one day,” England manager Thomas Tuchel said. “We are so competitive that we are hardly allowed to boast of third place, because 18 months ago we set our highest goal. We set our highest dream to chase and were very ambitious in our dream of reaching the final and winning the World Cup. So it hurts very much to miss out.”
Tuchel said he viewed England’s World Cup appearance as a success despite losing in the semi-finals. The Three Lions took a 1-0 lead against Argentina, but lost 2-1 thanks to Messi’s two goal assists in the closing stages.
tuchel criticized His tactical decisions in the defeat have left many questioning what it will take for England to end their decades-long wait for another trophy.
He said Saturday’s result was a step toward closing the gap with teams such as Argentina and France.
“Even if circumstances prevent us from celebrating the bronze medal wholeheartedly, this match will definitely help us,” he said.
Jude Bellingham scored in the 8th minute of stoppage time, his seventh goal of the tournament and the most by an English player at a World Cup. Captain Harry Kane scored six goals this year and in 2018, while Gary Lineker scored six in 1986.
France also scored in the second half with Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele, and Mbappé’s second goal gave France a 4-3 lead.
Messi, who has 21 World Cup goals in total and eight in this tournament, will have one last shot at overtaking Mbappe as the leading scorer with defending champion Argentina on Sunday against Spain in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Mbappé also won the Golden Boot four years ago when France lost in the final to Argentina on penalties.
“Leo always scores,” Mbappé told FOX Sports in French. “Tomorrow he will definitely score a goal. I always just try to help the team score. When you score that many goals in the World Cup, it certainly lifts you to a certain level. I don’t think I would have liked to be the highest scorer of all time and go into tomorrow’s game.”
Both teams said they wanted to play in Sunday’s final. France had enough attacking power to potentially win the tournament, but Les Bleus lost to Spain in the semi-finals, wasting their chance to advance to their third consecutive World Cup final.
Still, a capacity crowd of 64,478 turned out to watch the seventh and final game of this World Cup at Hard Rock Stadium.
Many supporters were cheering for both teams. Many had come there simply for the feel of a low stakes match, but it was more than adequate.
Gastón Esquivel, who is from Mexico City and came to support England, said, “I love English soccer.” “I’ve been following the Premier League since I was a kid. I’m a Manchester United fan. I like their style and I like their game.”
Thomas Wiel, who was traveling from Paris to follow France during the tournament, was hoping for a hat trick from Mbappe. He almost achieved what he wanted.
Mbappe’s match gave France a 0-4 lead. flicked a shot past goalkeeper Dean Henderson At 48 minutes. after that he defeated Henderson again In the 66th time, he struck with his left foot from about 14 yards.
“I don’t think Messi will score a hat-trick tomorrow,” Biel said.
This match was also France national team coach Didier Deschamps’ last match. said He would resign after 14 years. Deschamps hugged his players and waved to the crowd as he left the pitch.
Coach Deschamps said through an interpreter, “I didn’t expect the first half to go like this.” “And we were even better in the second half. After the semi-finals, we were deeply disappointed and almost heartbroken. I don’t want to sum up my career at this moment.”
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Associated Press writer David Fisher contributed to this report.
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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
