France 4 – 6 England

Match Summary

  • First-Half English Dominance: The tournament’s penultimate fixture exploded into life as Declan Rice opened the scoring from distance in just the 3rd minute. Ezri Konsa doubled the advantage with an 18th-minute header, before Bukayo Saka struck twice (37′, 45+1′) to establish a commanding 4-0 lead by the interval.

 

  • The French Response: Following drastic halftime adjustments, the European side mounted a fierce comeback. Kylian Mbappé found the net in the 48th minute and struck again in the 66th minute, sandwiching a Bradley Barcola finish in the 54th minute to dramatically pull the score back to 4-3.

     

  • The Decisive Blows: The tactical swing was halted in the 87th minute when Bukayo Saka converted a penalty to complete a historic hat-trick. A late injury-time exchange saw Ousmane Dembélé strike for his side (90+6′) before Jude Bellingham put the result entirely beyond doubt with a brilliant individual effort in the 90+8th minute.

  • Historical Milestones: Despite the defeat, Kylian Mbappé officially became the highest goalscorer in the tournament’s entire history, reaching a career total of 22 goals. Meanwhile, the victory secured the highest tournament placement for the English men’s setup since 1966