France ‘absolutely stunned’: Kylian Mbappe after 4-6 FIFA World Cup loss to England

Kylian Mbappe (PTI Photo) England signed off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a bronze medal after beating France 6-4 in a thrilling third-place play-off at the Miami Stadium on Saturday. After the match, Mbappe admitted that France were unable to match England in the opening half, but praised his team-mates for fighting back after the break.“It was two very different halves. In the first half I understand why some people think we made fools of ourselves and didn’t do the jersey justice. Instead I would say we were human – and we can’t afford that. We were completely overwhelmed and they really woke us up. In the second half we went back to being top level players, we won and mental machines. Deschamps) We wanted to do something for him.England took full control from the start and raced into a massive 4-0 lead before half-time. Declan Rice opened the scoring in the third minute before Ezri Konsa doubled the lead in the 18th minute. Bukayo Saka then struck twice in quick succession in the 37th and 45+1′, marking the first time France had conceded four goals in a single half of a FIFA World Cup match.

France fought back but England finished strong

France almost completed a remarkable comeback after the break. Mbappe scored twice while Bradley Barcola also found the net to reduce the deficit to 4-3. Mbappe’s brace also helped him overtake Lionel Messi to become the all-time FIFA World Cup goalscorer with 22 goals.However, England regained control late in the match. Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 87th minute before Ousmane Dembele struck for France. Jude Bellingham then sealed England’s 6-4 victory with a goal in stoppage time.

The end of an era for Deschamps

The defeat brought the curtain down on Didier Deschamps’ successful 14-year spell as France manager.Deschamps took charge of the national team in 2012 and led France to the 2018 FIFA World Cup title. He also led Les Bleus to the 2022 World Cup final before his most recent campaign ended with a semi-final defeat to Spain and a fourth-place finish after losing to England.