All 10 Goals In That Bonkers Third-Place Match, Ranked - Defector

What the report says

Defector’s Luis Paez-Pumar treated the 2026 World Cup third-place game less as a conventional tactical contest than as an unusually open showcase of attacking play. In the article, published July 19, Defector said England defeated France 6-4 in Miami on a hot, humid Saturday, securing what the outlet described as England’s first third-place finish at a World Cup.

The piece argued that the third-place match often lacks the competitive edge of knockout games, with teams coming off semifinal defeats and little tangible reward at stake. That context, Defector wrote, helped produce a game in which defending was secondary: England surged to a 4-0 halftime lead before France scored three times in the first 18 minutes after the break to make the match competitive again.

Defector ranked each of the 10 goals, highlighting Bukayo Saka’s hat trick, including a late penalty, and noting that it was the first hat trick in a World Cup third-place match since Just Fontaine’s for France in 1958. The article also singled out contributions from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé, while praising assists and buildup play from Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze, Dayot Upamecano and others.

Among the broader takeaways, the article emphasized France’s attacking depth and England’s standout individual moments. Defector said Olise recorded his sixth assist of the tournament, tying Pelé’s 1970 mark, and described Bellingham’s stoppage-time goal as a fitting end to a chaotic match after he entered as a substitute.