Desire was always likely to be a key factor in how this contest of defeated semi-finals transpired, and so it proved in an incredibly one-sided first half in which England – without Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham – needed less than three minutes to break the deadlock.
Stand-in captain Declan Rice intercepted a Désiré Doué pass and strode forward unchallenged before brilliantly picking out the far corner from outside the box.
Bukayo Saka then had a strike ruled out for offside, but the Three Lions still doubled their lead inside 20 minutes when Ezri Konsa headed Rice’s corner inside the far post.
France were wide open at the back, and outside of the lively Kylian Mbappé, they offered very little threat at the other end. Thomas Tuchel’s men, meanwhile, were playing with a swagger, which Marcus Rashford perfectly encapsulated when he nutmegged Warren Zaïre-Emery before letting fly from range, forcing Mike Maignan into an impressive save.
That was only a temporary reprieve for Les Bleus, who conceded a third when Rashford and Saka combined on the breakaway, both seeing efforts denied before the former teed up the Arsenal winger to turn home.
England stunningly added a fourth in first-half stoppage time when Eberechi Eze slotted through Arsenal teammate Saka, who found the bottom corner to round off a remarkable first period, which must’ve added to the frustration of their meek surrender against Argentina in the semi-final.
Deschamps’ displeasure was clear, responding with four changes at the break, and there was an immediate response as France reduced the arrears. Mbappé slotted home after being found by Michael Olise, making him the outright leader in the 2026 Golden Boot race.
Mbappé then turned provider, slotting in substitute Bradley Barcola to bring the deficit down to two, a margin Maignan preserved with a brilliant save to keep out Ivan Toney’s header.
That looked even more important when an incisive France move saw Olise break the record for the number of assists at a single WC (seven), teeing up Mbappé to net his 22nd goal at the finals, and taking him clear of Lionel Messi as the competition’s all-time top scorer in the process.
He’s also the first man since Gerd Müller in 1970 to bring up double figures for goals at a single WC, but his exploits weren’t enough to complete the French comeback.
After Olise fired a gilt-edged chance to equalise wide of the target, England won a penalty when Djed Spence was felled by Malo Gusto inside the box, and Saka rolled home from 12 yards to complete his hat-trick.
Ousmane Dembélé reignited the contest when he rifled home the contest’s ninth goal deep into stoppage time, but Jude Bellingham soon ended the French resistance when he broke away and netted his seventh goal of these finals – the most by an England player at a single WC – to secure their best finish at the competition since winning it in 1966.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Bukayo Saka (England)
