England edge 10-goal thriller against France to seal third place at FIFA World Cup

England signed off their FIFA World Cup campaign with a dramatic 6-4 victory over France in the third-place playoff, earning their best finish at the tournament since lifting the trophy in 1966.

England race into four-goal lead

Thomas Tuchel's side came out firing and took control early, with Declan Rice opening the scoring before Ezri Konsa doubled the advantage. Bukayo Saka struck twice in the first half as England stormed into a commanding 4-0 lead.

France looked out of the contest, but the second half produced one of the most remarkable comebacks in World Cup history.

France threaten stunning comeback

Kylian Mbappe inspired the fightback with two goals, while Bradley Barcola also found the net as France slashed the deficit to 4-3.

With England under immense pressure, Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot late in the game to restore a two-goal cushion. Ousmane Dembele struck again for France to make it 5-4, but substitute Jude Bellingham ended the contest with a stoppage-time goal to seal a memorable 6-4 win.

Record-breaking third-place playoff

The match produced 10 goals, making it the highest-scoring third-place playoff in FIFA World Cup history. The previous record was France's 6-3 win over West Germany in 1958.

England also secured third place for the first time since winning the World Cup in 1966, having previously lost third-place playoffs in 1990 and 2018.

Mbappe sets new World Cup scoring record

Despite finishing fourth, Mbappe etched his name into the history books.

His two goals took his tally to 10 in the tournament, strengthening his lead in the Golden Boot race. More significantly, he reached 22 career World Cup goals, surpassing Lionel Messi to become the highest scorer in FIFA World Cup history.

Messi, meanwhile, will have one final opportunity to add to his tally when Argentina face Spain in Sunday's World Cup final.

England end campaign on a high

After criticism over their conservative display in the semi-final defeat to Argentina, England adopted an attacking approach from the opening whistle. The aggressive mindset paid off as they scored six times in an entertaining contest that will be remembered as one of the most spectacular matches ever played in a World Cup third-place playoff.

The victory gives England a podium finish and plenty of positives to build on, while France depart after a valiant comeback fell just short.