The 2026 World Cup resumed on Saturday, July 19th, with the third-place playoff match between England and France held in Miami Gardens, Florida. England triumphed 6-4, marking their best tournament finish since 1966. Bukayo Saka was instrumental in the victory, scoring a hat-trick to lead the Three Lions.
Despite the loss, French star Kylian Mbappé made history by becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history. He scored twice in the match, bringing his career total to 22 goals and surpassing Lionel Messi's previous record of 21. Mbappé's goals came in the 48th and 66th minutes as France attempted a comeback from a 4-0 halftime deficit, which ultimately fell short.
Mbappé reflected on his achievement, stating, "I'm just trying to help my team score every time. It's for sure that when you score that many goals in the World Cup, it elevates you to certain levels but I would have liked to not be the top scorer in history and play tomorrow's (championship) match. But today, it's not the first thing crossing my mind."
Additionally, Mbappé has scored 10 goals in this World Cup alone, making him the first player since West Germany's Gerd Muller in 1970 to reach double digits in a single tournament. He currently leads the competition for the Golden Boot by two goals over Messi.
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