Thuram and Spence remain on the sidelines, England beats France 6-4

The English national team secured third place at the World Cup by defeating France 6-4 in the third-place playoff. For the Three Lions, this is the second-best result in their history after their home triumph in 1966.

Tuchel‘s team dominated the first half, closing the opening period at 4-0 thanks to goals from Rice, Konsa, and a brace from Saka. At halftime, Deschamps changed France‘s setup, and they responded with Mbappé and Olise leading a near comeback.

Mbappé surpassed Messi in this edition, becoming the top scorer in World Cup history, while Olise reached 7 assists, overtaking Pelé. In the final minutes, Saka converted a penalty to make it 5-3, before Dembélé and Bellingham set the final score at 6-4.

Inter striker Marcus Thuram remained on the bench for the entire 90 minutes. Djed Spence, a transfer target for the Nerazzurri, won the penalty that temporarily made it 5-3.