England finally play like World Cup winners as 10-goal epic with France reveals what might have been | OneFootball

When England played like World Cup winners, it was after the World Cup had already been lost. In a confusing, chaotic game, instead of going for gold, they brought home bronze. For 45 minutes, England played like worldbeaters; for 45, like a team who could be beaten from 4-0 up. By the end, Bukayo Saka had become just the fourth Englishman to score a World Cup hat-trick, joining Geoff Hurst, Gary Lineker and Harry Kane, and Jude Bellingham had made them the first team ever to score six goals against France in this competition. But a result that would have been celebrated euphorically in another context should come with a sense of regret: given that they have only performed fitfully, where was this England against Argentina? Or even against Norway, DR Congo, Panama and Ghana?

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England beat France 6-4 in Miami (PA)

A vibrant, dynamic display suggested that actually this could be part of their DNA, whatever Thomas Tuchel has said to the contrary. Tuchel was unable to shrug off the semi-final surrender; not when he was booed by England supporters. But his side, desperately defensive in a dreadful 36 minutes against Argentina, were four up after 45 in an attacking antidote against France, even if they were weakened, shambolic and seemingly demob-happy. Then a manager whose team could not hold on to a 1-0 lead against Argentina threatened to lose a four-goal advantage; Tuchel was diplomatic enough not to switch to a back five this time.

But as, in a match of seven changes apiece, England demonstrated their depth, the frustration should be exacerbated by the reality that some of the destroyers of France were denied the opportunity to have the same impact against Argentina. Saka was a case in point, overlooked when Tuchel adopted such a negative approach on Wednesday and offering a reminder that there was another way. Marcus Rashford, only introduced in the 96th minute then, was another to underline England could have had more incision and acceleration. If Tuchel’s gameplan was supposed to be about fast wingers, they showed how dangerous they can be.

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Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford impressed against France (Getty)

As Tuchel conjured an emphatic response to the disappointment in Atlanta, his assistant Anthony Barry saying England were playing “with broken hearts”, the endorsement of him was also an indictment. That said, there may have been an irony in the identity of the scorer of England’s second: Ezri Konsa, the man summoned in Tuchel’s most infamous substitution. Konsa for Anthony Gordon backfired against Argentina. Konsa in a back four got forward to head in a corner.

Where Tuchel may merit some sympathy is that this brought the sight of Declan Rice at his best which, in part due to injury and illness, he has not been of late. Rice was dominant, scoring the first, making the second, in a victory that owed much to Arsenal. Between them, the Gunners in Tuchel’s team recorded four goals and two assists.

Rice stood in as captain, with Kane rested after Tuchel said he had too many “kilometres in the legs”. Perhaps Saka and Rashford had too few in theirs. The surprise starter was Ivan Toney, previously limited to injury-time action. Injury meant Kobbie Mainoo’s World Cup finished without minutes or any purpose in taking him. Morgan Rogers started, just as Chelsea are set to pay £117m for him, though the evidence of this game was that he is worth rather less than Saka or Rice.

The midfielder got England off to a flying start, intercepting a pass from Desire Doue, powered forward and whipped a shot from 25 yards past a motionless Mike Maignan. It was his corner that Konsa then headed in.

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Ezri Konsa scored with a header (Reuters)

Then Saka took over. He and Rashford led a scintillating counter-attack that, after the Arsenal man had an effort cleared off the line by Maxence Lacroix, led to the Manchester United player teeing up him for the third goal. Saka angled in a fourth after a penetrative pass by Eberechi Eze. His treble was completed from the penalty spot after a rampaging Djed Spence was tripped by Malo Gusto. England still needed Bellingham to come off the bench and score from a solo run to clinch victory.

Yet his goal was surrounded by a fabulous French fightback. After Didier Deschamps made a quadruple change, his side scored four goals, with a surge powered by a record-breaking Kylian Mbappe.

A double enabled him to leapfrog Lionel Messi, if only for a day, and become the World Cup’s highest scorer. Mbappe now has 22 to Messi’s 21; the first man to strike 10 times in one World Cup since Gerd Muller, he looks odds on to get the Golden Boot. Bradley Barcola, who scored from an Mbappe pass, was one of the four brought on; Michael Olise, who twice should have made it 4-4, supplied the passes for Mbappe’s goals, took his tally of assists to seven in a tournament, another record. Instead, Ousmane Dembele, another of those introduced at the break, made it 5-4, only for Bellingham to respond.

History was made in the scoreline, and in other respects. It was a historic occasion in another respect: Deschamps’ 187th and last game in charge and 290th France game, including his playing career. The comeback was at least a sequel to France’s response in the 2022 final, even if a defeat was not a fitting way for Deschamps to bid adieu.

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Kylian Mbappe made more World Cup history (Reuters)

Tuchel, who wants to carry on, can argue that this is officially England’s most successful World Cup since 1966: with six victories and, unlike in 1990 or 2018, winning the third-place play-off. But that only underlined what might have been.