World Cup: England top France 6-4 in record-setting third-place match
CBS Sports • • sports
Key Points:
- England secured third place in the World Cup by narrowly defeating France 6-4 in the highest-scoring World Cup match since 1982, despite nearly blowing a 4-0 lead late in the game.
- Bukayo Saka scored a stoppage-time penalty to complete his hat trick and prevent an unprecedented collapse, as France mounted a fierce comeback led by Kylian Mbappe’s two goals.
- Mbappe’s brace pushed him to 21 World Cup goals, surpassing Lionel Messi for the most in tournament history and making him the first player since Gerd Muller in 1970 to score double-digit World Cup goals.
- England’s defense struggled to hold the lead, but coach Thomas Tuchel refrained from defensive substitutions, unlike in their semifinal loss to Argentina, resulting in a tense finish.
- The victory marked England’s best World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966, improving on their fourth-place result from 2018.
