Дэлхийн аваргын гуравдугаар байрын төлөөх тоглолтод Англи 6:4-ийн харьцаагаар Францыг буулган авч, 1966 оноос хойших хамгийн өндөр амжилтаа үзүүллээ.
Майами хотноо болсон энэхүү гал гарсан тоглолтод Букайо Сака хет-трик хийж, Английн ялалтад голлох үүрэг гүйцэтгэв. Францын Килиан Мбаппе хоёр гоол оруулснаар Дэлхийн аваргын түүхэн дэх хамгийн олон гоолтой тоглогч болж, 22 гоолтойгоор бүх цаг үеийн мэргэн буучийн жагсаалтыг тэргүүллээ. Мөн Францын Майкл Олис хоёр оновчтой дамжуулалт өгснөөр Дэлхийн аваргын нэг удаагийн тэмцээнд хамгийн олон дамжуулалт өгсөн түүхэн амжилтыг эвдлээ.
Тоглолтын эхний хагаст Англи 4:0-ийн харьцаагаар илт давуу байсан ч хоёрдугаар хагаст Франц эргэн ирэлт хийж, тоглолтын явц эрс өөрчлөгдсөн юм. Английн хаалгач Дин Хендерсон хэд хэдэн чухал хаалт хийсэн нь тоглолтын үр дүнд нөлөөлөв. Францын дасгалжуулагч Дидье Дешамын хувьд энэ нь түүний удирдлагад хийсэн сүүлийн тоглолт байсан бөгөөд багийнх нь хоёрдугаар хагас дахь хичээл зүтгэл үр дүнд хүрсэнгүй.
Тоглолтын дараа Томас Тухел өөрийн удирдсан Английн багийн үзүүлбэрт сэтгэл хангалуун байсан ч хагас шигшээ тоглолтод гаргасан тактикийн сонголтууд нь шүүмжлэл дагуулсан хэвээр үлдлээ. Энэ удаагийн Дэлхийн аваргын хамгийн олон гоол орсон тоглолт нь үзэгчдэд гайхалтай сэтгэгдэл төрүүлж, тэмцээнийг өндөрлөв.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
The World Cup’s most curious occasion produced the most chaotic, breathtaking game of this tournament.
Ten goals were scored (the most at this competition), Kylian Mbappe became the World Cup’s record all-time scorer and took a potentially decisive lead in the race to win this year’s Golden Boot and Michael Olise made his own piece of World Cup history to record the most assists ever in a single tournament.
In the midst of all the madness, it barely registered that Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick and England won 6-4 (having been 4-0 up at half-time) to take the bronze medal, their best finish at a World Cup since their only victory in the competition in 1966.
It was a tennis score, and in truth there could have been far more goals had it not been for some fine saves by England goalkeeper Dean Henderson and some remarkable misses.
Our experts discuss the big talking points from an astonishing afternoon in Miami.
How did Mbappe make history and move ahead in Golden Boot race?
This may be ‘only’ the third-placed playoff, but Kylian Mbappe warmed up with real intent.
He sprinted during the cone drills and motivated his team-mates to do the same. He was trying to set an example, knowing that the rest of the French players had little interest in playing. Mbappe did, though. He entered the game one goal behind Lionel Messi’s all-time World Cup scoring record of 21.
In the first half, Mbappe searched for space and ran behind the England back line in an attempt to pad his World Cup statistics. The effort was there, but the opportunities were limited. With the scoreline 4-0 in favour of England at half-time, you wondered whether Mbappe would even come out of the dressing room. He did. He was the first France player to do so. It felt like a summer friendly, but Mbappe had several objectives to complete.
At kick-off, Mbappe had eight goals and four assists. Messi had the exact same totals. He went ahead of the Argentine great in the 48th minute. Mbappe latched onto a wonderful pass from Michael Olise inside the penalty area and finished past Dean Henderson with ease. That goal tied him with Messi for the all-time mark (21).
Kylian Mbappe smashes his first goal past Dean Henderson (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)
In the 66th minute, another slick two-man move with Olise left Mbappe facing Henderson’s goal, and once again, he struck the ball past the England goalkeeper. It was the record-breaking 22nd goal.
Mbappe didn’t win the World Cup, as expected, but he left his mark in typical fashion.
Felipe Cardenas
Was this game too chaotic or just great fun?
Despite individual talent often on display, it is not always easy to get excited for the third-place play-off game, with both teams coming off the back of damaging semi-final defeats and with, truthfully, little to play for.
But even the most cynical fan will have been left open-mouthed at the carnage on display in Miami and by the end even hardened tacticians were simply enjoying the fun.
Both teams set up with attacking XIs but, initially at least, England struck a much better balance, capitalising on France’s lack of athleticism and defensive awareness in midfield.
The shambolic nature of the defending was summed up by England’s third goal, the 300th goal of the tournament and probably the most comical.
France goalkeeper Mike Maignan originally made a smart save to deny Rashford, and was up quickly to close down Bukayo Saka. He rounded the goalkeeper, but saw his shot blocked by Maxence Lacroix, thrown to the ground as he attempted to steer his effort towards goal.
Still France could not clear, as Rashford picked up the ball again, turning away from Maignan and pulling it back for Saka — in a heap just seconds ago — to take aim again. .
It was a scuffed finish, but Theo Hernandez could only swipe the ball into the roof of the net from the goal line as he attempted to clear.
Remarkably, England were equally exposed in the second half, as they almost let their four-goal cushion slip. It made for a glorious contest, where neither side could really contain the other’s brilliance going forward.
Thom Harris
Has Tuchel regained any trust with England fans?
Thomas Tuchel was trying to put a brave face on it on Friday evening when he said that England can get their best World Cup result for 60 years by winning this game. But even he would not have imagined it would be as dramatic as this.
This was a ridiculous game, in which France defended high up the pitch with no pressure on the ball, allowing England to get in time after time. They were relentless and efficient, going 4-0 up at half-time.
Then in the second half France were as good as they were poor in the first, playing some remarkable football and creating more than enough chances to win it. In the end it finished 5-3, although in truth both sides could have got into double figures. It was that sort of game.
Thomas Tuchel needs to earn back the trust of England fans (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Ultimately, it was a positive moment for Tuchel and the players, a chance to end the tournament on a high and with something real to take back to England in the form of their bronze medals. It meant that the sporadic boos for Tuchel before the game were long forgotten.
But the fact that Saka and Rashford were so devastatingly good in the first half will lead England fans to wonder why Tuchel did not make attacking changes against Argentina on Wednesday night, when England were 1-0 up and facing a team vulnerable against pace.
Jack Pitt-Brooke
How did Olise make his own piece of history?
This was a game for attacking players to fill their boots. And while Mbappe finally took the lead in the race for the Golden Boot, and became the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer, Michael Olise was quietly creating his own history.
Creating two more goals, the Bayern Munich winger broke Pele’s record for the most assists in a single edition of the World Cup.
The sixth came with a trademark precise pass…
… and he registered his seventh after a slick one-two.
U.S. readers watch here:
UNREAL SCENES IN MIAMI 😱
After being down 4-0, Mbappé scores France’s third and takes the all-time lead over Messi in goals scored at the FIFA World Cup pic.twitter.com/klRmxtOUSZ
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 18, 2026
UK readers watch here:
Kylian Mbappe scores his 22nd World Cup goal to become the leading goalscorer in the history of the competition ⚽🔥👏 pic.twitter.com/sDTNnW0kLZ
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) July 18, 2026
As we can see from his assist map below, his creativity could not be contained, constantly threading the ball through defensive lines and into the box all across the width of the final third.
The only blot on Olise’s copy book is the fact that he, somehow, did not manage to get on the scoresheet himself. No player has taken more than his 20 shots at this World Cup without scoring. The closest he came, ironically enough, was as he attempted an audacious bicycle kick from the edge of the penalty area against Sweden, crashing a spectacular effort off the post.
Alongside Mbappe, the 24-year-old was a joy to watch.
Thom Harris
Was this a fitting send-off for Deschamps?
In a heartfelt social media post to France head coach Didier Deschamps — who long ago announced that he would be leaving his role after this World Cup — Mbappe expressed his frustration at losing in the semifinal. Before kickoff the question then was whether France would give their much-adored manager a proper send off. The 4-0 score at halftime made Mbappe’s message feel empty and performative.
But the second-half comeback was proof that Deschamps had given his last motivational team talk. And it had landed with his players. The added bonus that Mbappe could get the better of Messi led to a spirited effort from France. The neutral crowd backed the French and it appeared that Deschamps’ tenure could end with a memorable win. England had other plans. Despite the optics, England were not going to roll out the red carpet for Deschamps. Tuchel’s men could not afford to squander a four-goal lead, either.
When Saka buried his penalty in the 87th minute, completing his hat trick, France’s reality had set in. If the French players had wanted to honor their manager, the man who took the country to three straight semifinal appearances, and lifted a World Cup as France’s captain in 1998, they did little to show their adoration for him.
Felipe Cardenas
How did Saka sign off in style?
This has been a challenging World Cup for Bukayo Saka.
He has been in and out of the England team, never quite looking like he was at his physical best, as he tried to shake off the achilles issue that affected his season. He had some impressive moments, like the cross for the first goal in Mexico City, but struggled for consistent output. And he tellingly did not even get onto the pitch during Wednesday’s semi-final against Argentina.
But here in Miami he scored a hat-trick, two in a ruthless first half and then a late penalty. It was a happy moment for Saka, and a reminder of what a good player he can be.
England will certainly need this version of Saka back at his best for future campaigns.
Jack Pitt-Brooke
