England produced a stunning first-half display to take a commanding 4-0 lead over France at half-time in the FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place playoff in Miami.
Declan Rice started the rout with a brilliant opening goal before Ezri Konsa doubled England’s advantage with a header. Bukayo Saka then struck twice before the break to leave France shell-shocked.
England’s attack looked sharp throughout the first half. Eberechi Eze played a key role in creating chances, while Marcus Rashford and Morgan Rogers repeatedly troubled the French defence.
Saka’s first goal came after Rashford led a rapid counterattack and squared the ball for the Arsenal winger to finish. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Eze released Saka with a superb through ball. Saka controlled calmly, skipped past Theo Hernandez and fired into the bottom corner to make it 4-0.
France created a few opportunities through Kylian Mbappe, who is chasing his ninth goal of the tournament to move ahead of Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race. However, Dean Henderson denied the France captain on multiple occasions, while Marc Guehi also made a crucial goal-line clearance before an offside flag was raised.
England have now scored 17 goals at the World Cup, moving ahead of France’s 16. The Three Lions are also closing in on one of the biggest winning margins ever recorded in a World Cup third-place match if they can maintain their advantage after the break.
