France vs. England Player Ratings: Superstars Defy Logic in Dizzying Game

The Three Lions secured their best World Cup finish since 1966.

England romped to victory in Miami. | Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images

In perhaps one of the most manic, entertaining World Cup matches of the 21st century, England walked away with a 6–4 victory over France in a third-place game that had just about everything.

It was clear from the opening whistle that there would be chaos at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday. England got on the scoresheet just three minutes into the game through Declan Rice, who then set up a goal for Ezri Konsa just 15 minutes later.

Then it was Bukayo Saka’s turn to tear apart France, bagging a brace just before halftime to put the Three Lions up 4–0, a lead that the 2018 world champion wouldn’t let stand in the second half.

Les Bleus rallied a comeback through Kylian Mbappé, who got on the scoresheet twice, and Bradley Barcola to make it a 4–3 game by the 66th minute. After a flurry of missed chances, the pendulum swung back in England’s favor when Saka completed his hat-trick from the spot.

France would not go down quietly, though, and Ousmane Dembélé made it 5–4 in the 96th minute. The reigning Ballon d’Or winner was soon upstaged by Jude Bellingham, who sealed the game for his country just two minutes later with an individual moment of magic.

Once the final whistle sounded, there was a hint of disbelief among the players and the fans in Miami at what an absurd World Cup game had just unfolded. England will just be happy it went in its favor.

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One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Didier Deschamps ended his France tenure with a defeat. | Buda Mendes/Getty Images

Tuchel turned heads when he made seven changes to his XI that lost to Argentina in the semifinals. Most notably Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, England’s two best players at the 2026 World Cup, were left on the bench after a grueling stretch of fixtures.

It wasn’t necessarily a surprising decision given the nonexistent stakes of Saturday’s match. But it looked like it might be a long afternoon for the Three Lions considering Deschamps rolled out a much stronger lineup, still featuring the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki and Désiré Doué.

It indeed was a long opening 45 minutes, but for France. The once World Cup favorites could not have put in less effort if they had tried in the first half. There was no defense being played, no structure in the midfield and Mbappé was a one-man show in the final third. Les Bleus might have had a better chance had Deschamps come out of retirement and entered the game himself.

The manager must have given some speech in the dressing room, because France came out in the second half like a team possessed. Suddenly, England was the one in for a long 45 minutes, chasing shadows as Les Bleus started their comeback.

In the end, both teams showed their quality and their shortcomings in a match that more closely resembled a backyard game of soccer. England, at least, can return to across the Atlantic with the nation’s best finish at a men’s World Cup since 1966. Deschamps, meanwhile, saw his tenure with Les Bleus end in rather inglorious fashion, a result and an effort undeserving of the manager who led the country to World Cup glory in 2018.

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France Player Ratings vs. England (4-2-3-1)

Kylian Mbappé (left) and Bradley Barcola did what they could to get France back in the game. | Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Mike Maignan—4.6: Will have nightmares about the first half, but the goalkeeper might as well have been playing without a defense in front of him. Shut the door on England after the restart until Saka’s penalty.

RB: Malo Gusto—5.1: A performance to forget, capped off by conceding the penalty for a foul on Djed Spence to all but guarantee England’s victory.

CB: Ibrahima Konaté—4.5: Would have been better for his stock if he kept sitting on the bench. Looked lost nearly every time England pushed forward and was often the one defender laboring to get back. Hooked at halftime.

CB: Maxence Lacroix—5.9: Too easily caught out in transition. Watched England players run past him like he was front row at the cinema. Got absolutely dismantled by Bellingham.

LB: Theo Hernández—4.9: Taken off at halftime after he gave Saka all the space in the world in the first half. Looked like he was defending in the Saudi Pro League, not the World Cup.

CM: Warren Zaïre-Emery—4.7: His biggest highlight was getting nutmegged by Marcus Rashford.

CM: Adrien Rabiot—4.9: Completely outclassed and overpowered by Konsa on the set piece that doubled England’s lead. A poor outing to muster in potentially his final World Cup game.

RW: Michael Olise—8.6: Much more dangerous in the second half when he slotted back into his favored No. 10 position, and he showed it with two sublime assists. Botched several golden chances from close-range that had Mbappé with his head in his hands.

AM: Rayan Cherki—6.2: The best creative outlet for France in the first half and one of the only players in blue who looked in the mood to play from the opening whistle. Pulled at halftime perhaps a bit harshly.

LW: Désiré Doué—5.4: Carelessly gave away the ball inside his own half that led to Rice’s opener. Looked rather uninterested for large spells.

ST: Kylian Mbappé—9.0: Took the Golden Boot lead with his ninth and 10th goals of the tournament and also picked up an extra assist, bringing his goal contributions this summer to a staggering 14. Became the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history.

SUB: Bradley Barcola (46’ for Doué)—7.5: Got on the scoresheet just nine minutes after he replaced Doué.

SUB: Ousmane Dembélé (46’ for Cherki)—7.9: His mere presence changed the game and stretched England’s defense. Bagged what felt like an inevitable goal in stoppage time.

SUB: Dayot Upamecano (46’ for Konaté)—7.3: Made an impact straight away with a brilliant tackle to dispossess Watkins in the build-up to Mbappé’s first goal. Turned creator to set up Dembélé.

SUB: Lucas Digne (72’ for Hernández)—6.5: Shored-up France’s ragged defense.

SUB: Jules Koundé (91’ for Gusto)—N/A

Subs not used: Brice Samba (GK), Robin Risser (GK), Lucas Hernández, William Saliba, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Manu Koné, N’Golo Kanté, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Maghnes Akliouche, Marcus Thuram.

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England Player Ratings vs. France (4-1-4-1)

England finished in third place at the 2026 World Cup. | Jamie Squire/Getty Images

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Dean Henderson—6.5: Won the battle against Mbappé in the first half, but couldn’t replicate his performance after the restart. Still, without his efforts the scoreline would’ve looked much worse.

RB: Jarell Quansah—5.9: Did his job against Doué but was bested by Barcola in the second half. Came off with another injury worry.

CB: Ezri Konsa—7.4: Buried a powerful header to open his account on the world stage. No match for France’s firepower in the second half.

CB: Marc Guéhi—7.4: Turned inside out by Mbappé on multiple occasions and needed his goalkeeper to bail him out. Very nervy once France applied constant pressure.

LB: Djed Spence—6.9: Picked up where he left off in the semifinals. Used his speed to silence Olise in the first half and had fun pushing forward. Won a penalty to restore England’s cushion.

DM: Declan Rice—8.3: Showed no signs of the lingering fitness issues he’s dealt with for months. Opened the scoring with a cracking goal and then set up Konsa’s header.

RW: Bukayo Saka—9.7: Came alive in transition. Saw a goal denied by the offside flag early, but made up for it eventually with a first-half brace. Completed only the second hat-trick of his England career to cap off a great outing.

AM: Morgan Rogers—7.5: Put together a few bright spurts, but had no moment of magic on the day he reportedly struck a record move to Chelsea.

AM: Eberechi Eze—8.1: Picked out Saka with a sensational ball to tally his first goal contribution of the tournament. Completed all 56 of his attempted passes.

LW: Marcus Rashford—7.9: Assisted Saka’s goal, but his best bit of skill was no doubt a filthy nutmeg on Zaïre-Emery. Will be disappointed he didn’t find the back of the net when he was through on goal in the first half.

ST: Ivan Toney—6.9: Tough for a striker to be as anonymous as Toney was in a game with 10 goals.

SUB: Ollie Watkins (46’ for Rashford)—6.5: Coughed up possession just minutes after coming onto the pitch, which led to France’s first.

SUB: Elliot Anderson (79’ for Toney)—6.2: Did what he could to stabilize England’s midfield.

SUB: Jude Bellingham (79’ for Eze)—7.9: Booed by the fans in Miami when he selflessly handed the ball to Saka to take England’s penalty. Won back their praise when he scored a brilliant individual goal.

SUB: Reece James (83’ for Quansah)—N/A

SUB: Trevoh Chalobah (93’ for Guéhi)—N/A

Subs not used: Jordan Pickford (GK), James Trafford (GK), Dan Burn, John Stones, Nico O’Reilly, Jordan Henderson, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Noni Madueke.

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What the Ratings Tell Us

Kylian Mbappé etched his name in World Cup folklore. | Sarah Stier/FIFA/Getty Images

• Kylian Mbappé might not be on his way to a second World Cup title, but he can at least leave North America with a few individual accolades. Not only is the Frenchman now leading the Golden Boot race, but he also became the all-time scorer in World Cup history. Lionel Messi has the final say on Sunday, but the Argentine will have to produce another game for the ages to catch up to Mbappé.
• Bukayo Saka took the pitch against France with a point to prove. The Arsenal winger bagged a hat-trick and created three chances, the joint-most in the game. England will no doubt be wondering just how different its campaign would have looked this summer if Saka was fully fit—or if he featured in the semifinals.
• Ibrahima Konaté will be thankful he already secured a blockbuster move to Real Madrid this summer, because the 15-time European champions likely would have revoked his deal after seeing him play in Miami. The center back was in slow motion, playing about as much defense as Mbappé, and picked apart for fun in transition. José Mourinho might have been more horrified by the performance than Deschamps.

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The Numbers That Explain England’s Chaotic Victory

• Both teams mustered a staggering 19 shots each in 90 minutes on Saturday, setting the stage for one of the most chaotic World Cup matches in recent memory. England’s 11 shots on target bested France’s nine—and that two-goal disparity was the difference in the game.
• The two nations also doubled their xG; England finished with six goals and just a 2.89 xG while France scored four goals with a 2.80 xG. Sure there were great scorers on the pitch, but there was also little defense being played.
• For all the madness that unfolded in Miami, both teams were rather tidy in possession, tallying a 91% pass accuracy.

Statistic	France	England
Possession	46%	54%
xG	2.80	2.89
Total Shots	19	19
Shots on Target	9	11
Big Chances	6	8
Pass Accuracy	91%	91%
Fouls	14	8
Corners	3	4

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