World Cup: 10 goals scored in the match between England and France

In the third-place play-off of the World Cup, the England national team defeated France 6-4 to secure the bronze medals. This match was recorded as the highest-scoring "small final" in tournament history. The English side, managed by Thomas Tuchel, showed they had recovered from their semi-final defeat. This is reported by Goal.com reports .

The game started very successfully for England. Declan Rice opened the scoring in the opening minutes with a strike from 23 meters out, beating Mike Maignan. This goal gave extra confidence to a team that had faced criticism from Argentina in the semi-finals. In the 20th minute, Ezri Konsa headed in a corner kick delivered by Rice to make it 2-0.

The remainder of the first half belonged to Bukayo Saka. The Arsenal star first capitalized on a goalkeeper error during a counter-attack, and just before the break, he converted a pass from Eberechi Eze after bypassing the opposing defenders to score the fourth goal. Thus, the English went into the break with a commanding lead.

Kylian Mbappe and a historic record

In the second half, the France national team tried to completely change the game. Kylian Mbappe narrowed the deficit after a quick counter-attack. Soon after, Bradley Barcola scored the second goal, and Michael Olise set up Mbappe for the third. As a result, the score became 4-3, leaving England in a difficult position.

With his second goal in this match, Kylian Mbappe became the all-time top scorer in World Cup history. His goal tally reached 22, breaking the record held by Lionel Messi (21 goals). Additionally, Mbappe took the lead in the "Golden Boot" race for this tournament with 10 goals. Michael Olise also equaled the legendary Pelé's record by providing 6 assists in a single tournament.

However, France could not capitalize on the opportunities to level the score. After Olise missed two favorable chances, England scored two more goals to secure a final 6-4 victory. According to Goal.com, this match became a true celebration for the fans and concluded with Thomas Tuchel's first medal with the England national team.