France‘s Kylian Mbappe became the top scorer in World Cup history on Saturday after netting a 22nd goal in the third-place play-off against England.
However, his team suffered a 6-4 defeat to the Three Lions in Didier Deschamps’ last match as head coach.
Mbappe is now one ahead of Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who will play in Sunday’s final against Spain.
Mbappe’s brace also saw the France captain move to the top of the race for the Golden Boot, which will be awarded to the player with the most goals in the tournament. He now has two more goals than Messi in this World Cup.
“Messi is going to score (on Sunday), that’s for sure. I’m just trying to help my team win. When you score a lot of goals at the World Cup, it puts you in a certain category,” Mbappe said.
“I would have preferred not to be the all-time top scorer and to be playing tomorrow’s match. It’s good in terms of legacy, but today it’s not the first thing on my mind,” he added.
England beat France 6-4 in wild World Cup bronze match
England were in complete control after scoring four first-half goals to leave France facing an embarrassing defeat.
Mbappe struck twice as Les Bleus battled back, but England held firm.
Saka scored a hat-trick for the Three Lions while Bellingham became the first England player to score seven goals at a single World Cup.
The result secured third place for the Three Lions, their best World Cup performance since winning the tournament in 1966.
Deschamps’ last dance with France
The third-place playoff at the World Cup was Deschamps’ last game as France coach.
Deschamps guided France to World Cup glory in 2018 and a runner-up finish four years ago.
But Les Bleus missed their chance for a third consecutive final appearance after losing 2-0 against Spain in the semi-finals.
On Sunday, European champions Spain will face World Cup holders and South American champions Argentina in the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
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