France's FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign ended in embarrassment before it turned into a thriller, and midfielder Adrien Rabiot did not mince words about what he saw from some of his teammates during a 6-4 defeat to England in Saturday's third-place playoff.
A Four-Goal Hole Before The Break
England, led by stand-in captain Declan Rice, could not have asked for a better start. Rice himself opened the scoring inside the opening three minutes, and Ezri Konsa doubled the lead in the 18th minute. Bukayo Saka then struck twice more before half-time, sending England into the break with an astonishing 4-0 cushion that France simply had no answer for.
Rabiot Calls Out The Attitude In The Dressing Room
Speaking to BeIN Sports once the final whistle had gone, Rabiot admitted the opening 45 minutes had left him uneasy about more than just the scoreline. He said the players had to have a frank conversation among themselves during the interval to salvage some self-respect, and that the tone shifted only after that exchange. "In the first half, some of the behaviour was unacceptable," he said. He added that the squad had already been carrying disappointment from the semi-final loss to Spain, and felt there was still something worth fighting for right until the tournament's final whistle.
Mbappe Drags France Back Into It
Whatever was said at the break clearly had some effect. Kylian Mbappe pulled a goal back in the 48th minute, then turned provider for substitute Bradley Barcola to make it 4-2. Mbappe struck again soon after to cut the deficit to a single goal, a strike that also made him the outright leader in the Golden Boot standings and pushed him past Lionel Messi to become the FIFA World Cup's all-time top scorer, with 22 goals to his name.
Saka's Hat-trick And A Late Sting From Bellingham
Just when France looked capable of completing the turnaround, England pulled away again. Saka converted a penalty to complete his hat-trick after Djed Spence was fouled inside the box. Ousmane Dembele gave France a brief flicker of hope with a goal deep into stoppage time, but Jude Bellingham settled matters moments later, netting England's sixth goal to confirm the 6-4 scoreline.
A Landmark Win For England, A Grim Farewell For Deschamps
The result marked England's first-ever victory in a FIFA World Cup third-place playoff. For France, it closed out Didier Deschamps' 14-year reign as head coach on a sour note, even with the second-half fightback offering some late respectability. Rabiot's comments afterwards made clear that, for him, the damage from that opening half would not be easy to forget.
