Kylian Mbappe ‘can’t believe’ 2026 World Cup goals as Rice, Konsa and Saka give Three Lions 4-0 first-half lead in play-off

Declan Rice and Ezri Konza scored in the first 18 minutes and Bukayo Saka added two more before half-time as England raced to a 4-0 lead against France in the third-place play-off at the 2026 World Cup on Saturday.

It’s a quick start from England! 🦁⚡

Declan Rice opens the opener in the third minute against France ⚽ pic.twitter.com/ID4u3rXOuM

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) July 18, 2026

of Arsenal rice a shot from distance after two minutes and 14 seconds before Konsa headed the midfielder and Saka fired over after Marcus Rashford showed admirable composure to give the Gunners a shot.

The Three Lions doubled their lead! 🦁⚽

Ezri Konsa rises high from Declan Rice’s corner to head home 🙌 pic.twitter.com/8BfI1LSDOQ

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) July 18, 2026

Former England midfielder Danny Murphy blamed Desire Doue’s « sloppy » pass for Rice’s goal. « Declan Rice spots danger so well, » Murphy told BBC Sport.

« It opens up for him but he makes it look so easy. That’s bad defending and a great finish in the far corner. He controlled it beautifully and it was a really calm finish. »

The Three Lions lead France by three goals! 🦁🔥

Bukayo Saka completes a quick England counterattack ⚽ pic.twitter.com/9SCfE3uH3v

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) July 18, 2026

FIFA World Cup 2026: Mbappe misfortune in England vs France

France icon Kylian Mbappe started the match needing a goal to overtake Argentina’s Lionel Messi in World Cup top scorer ranking.

« Mbappe can’t believe it, » Mbappe said after England’s third game. « Look how high the French are – how badly they defend. »

Speaking about the first goal, Murphy described France’s defense as « nowhere to be seen » with « no closure, no urgency ».

🗣 « France is torn apart by England! »

Bukayo Saka scores his second goal for the Three Lions’ FOURTH goal against the two-time world champions 🤯 pic.twitter.com/4RshXY692E

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) July 18, 2026

FIFA World Cup 2026: Team England vs France

England made seven changes, with top scorer Harry Kane among the players rested and Mark Guehy, Jed Spence, Morgan Rodgers and captain Declan Rice keeping their places.

Kobbie Mainoo, who did not feature in the final, was injured.

England starting XI: Dean Henderson, Ezri Konsa, Mark Gwehi, Jed Spence, Jarrell Kwanza, Declan Rice, Morgan Rodgers, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Ivan Toney

Replacements in England: Jordan Pickford, James Trafford, Nico O’Reilly, John Stones, Trevo Chalobah, Dan Byrne, Reece James, Elliott Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane, Anthony Gordon, Ollie Watkins, Noni Madueke

World Cup 2026: Full France v England

France also signed seven players, retaining Mike Meignan, Adrien Rabiot, Michael Olisset and Mbappe.

France starting XI: Mike Maignan, Malo Gusto, Ibrahim Konate, Theo Hernandez, Maxence Lacroix, Adrien Rabiot, Warren Zaire-Emery, Rayan Cherki, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Desire Doue

Substitutes for France: Brice Samba, Robin Risser, Lucas Digne, Dayot Upamecano, Jules Kunde, William Saliba, Lucas Hernandez, Manu Kone, Aurelien Chuameni, N’Golo Kante, Magnes Akliusch, Ousmane Dembele, Marcus Thuram, Bradley Barcola, Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Where to watch England vs France: TV channel, live stream online

Kick-off on Saturday was at 22:00 BST (17:00 ET / 14:00 PT). In the UK, the live telecast is on BBC One.

Streaming on a wide range of devices is available via the BBC iPlayer app and BBC Sport website.

FIFA World Cup 2026: England vs France Stats

• Third place would be England’s highest finish at a World Cup since their only title in 1966.
• England participated in two third-place play-offs at the World Cup, losing both 2-1 to Italy in 1990 and 2-0 to Belgium in 2018.
• They have won one of their last nine games against France (D2 L6), winning 2-0 in a friendly in November 2015.
• With 14 goals, Kane is the fifth-highest scorer in World Cup history, level with Gerd Muller and one behind Ronaldo Nazario
• Mbappe is the second-highest goalscorer in the competition’s history, with his 20 goals one shy of Lionel Messi’s total
• This is the fourth World Cup meeting between France and England – the Three Lions won the first two (2-0 in 1966, 3-1 in 1982) but France won 2-1 in the 2022 quarter-final.
• Every single third-place play-off match at the World Cup has been won without penalties, with only France’s 4-2 win over Belgium in 1986 going to extra time
• France is competing in the third-place play-off at the World Cup for the fourth time. Only Germany (5) has more entries
• Les Bleus beat Germany 6-3 in 1958 and Belgium 4-2 in 1986, although they lost 3-2 to Poland in 1982.
• They are unbeaten in four competitive meetings with England (W2 D2) since a 3-1 win at the 1982 World Cup.
• Deschamps will take charge in his 187th and final game as France manager, with his 121 wins more than any other Les Bleus head coach (D35 L30)