It began with boos and ended with bronze. What happened in between was one of the wildest matches in World Cup history. England raced to a 4‑0 lead at halftime, while France offered a farcically bad display that showed little interest in the third‑place playoff. The jeers aimed at Thomas Tuchel as the teams were announced reflected the low expectations.

France woke after the break, with Kylian Mbappé pulling them back to within one goal with 24 minutes left. Bukayo Saka completed his hat trick before substitute Jude Bellingham added a dazzling solo goal to seal a 6‑4 victory. The win gave England its best World Cup finish since 1966, earning Tuchel praise as the nation’s most successful manager in six decades despite earlier criticism.

The match, a curious third‑place outlier, saw 38 shots (19 each) and 20 on target, with a Mexican wave appearing after just ten minutes. Fans waved flags from Norway, Spain, Colombia, Croatia, Mexico, Brazil and the United States, chanting for both Mbappé and Bellingham. After the medal ceremony, where Harry Kane received a hug from FA chair Debbie Hewitt, Tuchel noted the bronze was a tangible achievement to build on, calling the contest entertaining but unlikely to be repeated.