France v England: third-place tales from 1930 dispute to Hakan Sükür’s 10.8-second strike | OneFootball

Third-place play-offs have added footnotes to World Cup history. France face England in Miami on Saturday at 23:00 in France, chasing a fourth podium finish.

L'Équipe notes the fixture, introduced in 1934, divides players but pleases sponsors. France have played three, winning in 1958 and 1986 and losing in 1982.

In 1930 there was no play-off, and confusion over third place has lingered. A 1984 FIFA bulletin wrongly listed a Yugoslavia 3-1 win, and writer Hyder Jawad said Yugoslavia refused to play after a 1-6 semi, yet in 1986 FIFA ranked the United States third on goal difference, and neither nation has returned to the podium.

In Santiago in 1962, Chile beat Yugoslavia 1-0 when Eladio Rojas’s shot deflected in at 90+1, sending 65,000 into rapture.

In 1966, several USSR players had already flown home after the quarters, their tickets pre-booked. With no substitutions allowed, they missed a 1-2 semi-final loss to West Germany, then a 2-1 defeat to Eusébio’s Portugal.

Hosts South Korea became the first home nation to lose a third-place play-off, beaten by Türkiye. Hakan Sükür struck after 10.8 seconds, still the fastest World Cup goal, and supplied two assists in a 3-2 win.

Germany are regulars, with a record eight finals, one more than Brazil, and more third-place games than anyone. They beat Portugal in 2006, then Uruguay 3-2 in 2010. Across five such matches they have four wins, the only loss in 1958 to France, when Just Fontaine scored four in a 6-3.

Source: L'Équipe