France midfielder Adrien Rabiot delivered a blunt assessment of his team’s performance after England defeated Les Bleus 6-4 in a dramatic FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place playoff. While the match produced a record-breaking performance from Kylian Mbappe, it ended with frustration inside the French camp as Rabiot questioned the attitude shown by some of his teammates.

England secured the bronze medal after surviving a spirited French comeback, with Bukayo Saka producing a stunning hat-trick. Mbappe scored twice to become the highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history, but the landmark was not enough to prevent France from ending their campaign with defeat.

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England Team
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England Team pose after winnig the third place prize against France at the FIFA World Cup | X [FIFA]

England clinches bronze after goal-filled thriller

The third-place playoff turned into one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament as England emerged 6-4 winners over France.

Thomas Tuchel’s side stormed into a four-goal lead before halftime, putting France under immense pressure early in the contest. Declan Rice opened the scoring in just the third minute before Ezri Konsa doubled England’s advantage with a headed finish.

Bukayo Saka then took control of the game, striking twice before the break as England repeatedly punished France’s defensive lapses with quick attacking moves and clinical finishing.

France responded with far greater intensity after halftime. Kylian Mbappe scored twice to breathe life into the contest, while Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele also got on the scoresheet as Les Bleus attempted an unlikely comeback.

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England, however, refused to lose control. Saka completed his hat-trick to cap a memorable evening before Jude Bellingham added England’s sixth goal. Bellingham also finished the tournament with seven goals.

The result secured England’s best FIFA World Cup finish since their 1966 triumph, while the 10-goal encounter became the highest-scoring third-place playoff in World Cup history. It was also the tournament’s highest-scoring match since Hungary’s 10-1 victory over El Salvador in 1982.

Kylian Mbappe sets new FIFA World Cup goals record

Although France fell short, Mbappe achieved another remarkable milestone.

The France captain scored twice in the second half to take his FIFA World Cup tally to 22 goals, moving ahead of Lionel Messi’s previous record of 21. His brace also lifted him to the top of the Golden Boot standings with 10 goals in the tournament.

Messi, who has scored eight goals so far, will still have one opportunity to reduce that gap when Argentina face Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final.

Adrien Rabiot criticises France’s first-half display

Despite France’s improved showing after the interval, Rabiot made it clear that the team’s first-half performance was unacceptable.

Speaking to the media after the match, the midfielder criticised the attitude shown by certain players and said the team had failed to make the most of its final opportunity at the tournament. “We started this first half in a pretty shameful way, I’d say. I saw… behaviours from certain players that I had never seen until now for a match like this. It’s true that it’s a bit disappointing because, well, this was the last match to make a good impression in this competition. We shouldn’t forget everything we’ve done. It’s true there is a lot of disappointment after this semifinal loss against Spain, but… but there you go, there was a job to be done right until the end,” Rabiot told the media after the match.

The AC Milan midfielder said France managed to recover after halftime but insisted the first-half approach could not be overlooked.

“We can’t just be content with botching things like that. Obviously, we picked ourselves up at halftime, we talked, and we said that we still needed to show a bit of pride, to show something. It was clearly better in the second half. But yeah, in the first half, certain behaviours were… pretty unacceptable,” added the AC Milan midfielder.

Emotional farewell for Didier Deschamps

The match also marked the end of Didier Deschamps’ tenure as France head coach.

Deschamps leaves after guiding France through one of the most successful periods in the nation’s football history. Although the campaign ended with consecutive defeats against Spain and England, Rabiot said the result should not overshadow everything the coaching staff achieved during their time in charge.

He praised Deschamps and the entire backroom staff for helping France remain among the world’s leading football nations. “For the rest, what we especially need to highlight tonight is also the coach because it was his last. All the staff-the coach, Guy, Franck, Cyril-they did an enormous amount of work. They brought this team back to the top with all the players who are here. And… and there you go, I think that’s above all what we must remember. Obviously, we would have liked to finish with a victory so that the coach could have a better exit, but… but that doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t tarnish the image he has, I think, among all French people and the whole sporting world,” he concluded.

France end campaign with questions to answer

France leave the FIFA World Cup 2026 after finishing fourth following defeats to Spain in the semifinals and England in the bronze medal match.

While Mbappe closed the tournament by rewriting the World Cup record books, Rabiot’s post-match comments reflected the disappointment within the French squad after a difficult end to their campaign. England, meanwhile, finished on a high by claiming the bronze medal following an unforgettable 6-4 victory that will be remembered as one of the tournament’s most dramatic matches.

FAQs

What record did Kylian Mbappe set against England?

Mbappe scored twice to become the highest goal scorer in FIFA World Cup history with 22 goals.

Why did Adrien Rabiot criticise France after the England match?

Rabiot called France’s first-half performance “shameful” and said some players displayed unacceptable behavior during the third-place playoff.