10 goals, a Saka hat-trick, Mbappé's historic record—England beat France 6-4 in World Cup bronze clash

The bronze-medal contest delivered an extraordinary spectacle, with England dominating the opening half before surviving a spirited French comeback.

Jude Bellingham's stoppage-time goal finally sealed victory after France had threatened an unlikely recovery.

England race into commanding first-half lead

Thomas Tuchel's side made an explosive start, taking the lead after just 134 seconds.

Declan Rice fired home from outside the penalty area to register England's second-fastest goal in FIFA World Cup history, behind only Bryan Robson's 28-second strike against France in 1982.

Photo: FIFA.com

England continued to dictate proceedings and doubled their advantage through Ezri Konsa after Bukayo Saka had earlier seen a goal ruled out for offside.

Saka then took centre stage, scoring twice before the interval to send England into the dressing room with a commanding 4-0 advantage and leave France facing the prospect of one of their heaviest World Cup defeats.

Mbappé sparks remarkable France revival

France emerged after the break with renewed determination and immediately reduced the deficit.

Michael Olise provided the assist for Kylian Mbappé, who calmly finished in the 48th minute to ignite the comeback.

Bradley Barcola added France's second six minutes later before Mbappe struck again in the 66th minute, converting another opportunity created by Olise to narrow England's lead to 4-3.

The French side continued to press forward, with Olise coming close to completing an impressive team move as England struggled to contain the mounting pressure.

Saka and Bellingham finish the job

England regained breathing space in the closing stages when Malo Gusto fouled Djed Spence inside the penalty area.

Photo: FIFA.com

Saka converted the resulting penalty in the 87th minute to complete his hat-trick and restore a two-goal cushion.

Ousmane Dembele pulled another goal back deep into stoppage time, but Bellingham responded moments later by scoring England's sixth goal to secure a thrilling 6-4 victory and third place at the tournament.

Mbappé surpasses Messi

Despite France's defeat, Mbappé achieved a significant individual milestone by becoming the highest goal-scorer in FIFA World Cup history.

His two goals against England lifted his overall World Cup tally to 22, surpassing Lionel Messi's previous record of 21 goals.

Mbappé's first strike drew him level with Messi before his second, created by a clever Michael Olise flick, moved him clear at the top of the all-time scoring charts.

Kylian Mbappé becomes the highest goal-scorer in FIFA World Cup history. Photo: FIFA.com

Before the 2026 tournament, Miroslav Klose held the record for most World Cup goals.

Messi later overtook the German striker during the current edition, but Mbappé has now established a new benchmark.

The France captain entered the tournament with 12 World Cup goals and added 10 more in North America.

His tally also placed him at the top of the Golden Boot standings with 10 goals, ahead of Messi's eight.

Key statistics

England's opening goal came after only 134 seconds, making it the nation's second-fastest strike in FIFA World Cup history after Bryan Robson's goal against France in 1982.

Michael Olise finished the tournament with seven assists, the highest total recorded in a single FIFA World Cup since official assist records began in 1966.

The previous record belonged to Pelé, who registered six assists for Brazil in 1970.

Mbappé ended the tournament with 10 goals in eight appearances.

Before becoming the all-time World Cup leading scorer, only Sándor Kocsis (11 goals in 1954) and Just Fontaine (13 goals in 1958) had scored more goals in a single FIFA World Cup campaign than Mbappé managed in North America.