England delivered a stunning first-half performance against France and led 4-0 at halftime in the third-place match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Three Lions started the game with incredible intensity and opened the scoring after only three minutes when Declan Rice recovered the ball outside the box before firing a powerful strike past Mike Maignan. France struggled to find solutions and quickly found itself under heavy pressure.
England continued to exploit France’s defensive weaknesses with fast counter-attacks. Ezri Konsa doubled the lead in the 19th minute after Declan Rice delivered a corner and the defender beat Adrien Rabiot to score with a header. Bukayo Saka then punished Les Bleus again in the 37th minute after Marcus Rashford created danger before Saka finished the move. The Arsenal forward completed his brace in stoppage time of the first half to give England a four-goal advantage in the 2026 FIFA World Cup clash.
France showed some attacking reactions through Kylian Mbappé, who forced Dean Henderson into a save with a powerful strike, while Rayan Cherki and the French attackers failed to create enough clear chances. England controlled the match with solid defensive organization and dangerous transitions. Les Bleus now face a difficult second half as they try to reduce the deficit and save their final game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign.
