Tag: Kylian Mbappé

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England beats France 6-4 in wild World Cup third-place game

Bukayo Saka scored three goals to lead England to a 6-4 win over France for third place in the World Cup, while Kylian Mbappé surpassed Lionel Messi’s career tournament scoring record and took the lead in the Golden Boot race with a pair of second-half goals on Saturday.

It was the highest-scoring World Cup game since Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in 1982, and the 10 goals were the most in a third-place match.

Saka had goals in the 37th minute and in first-half stoppage time, then added his third on a penalty in the 87th for his second career hat trick with England. The Three Lions also got goals from Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa to build a 4-0 halftime lead, and they hung on during a wild second half to secure their second-best finish in the World Cup. England won its only title in 1966.

England’s Jude Bellingham capped the scoring in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time, his seventh goal of the tournament.

Mbappé reached 22 career goals, one more than Messi. The star striker finished this World Cup with 10 goals, two ahead of Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, which is awarded to the tournament’s top scorer.

Messi will get one last shot at the scoring title when he and defending champion Argentina face Spain on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé also scored for France.

France’s Kylian Mbappe, right, controls the ball past England’s Marc Guehi (6) during the World Cup third-place playoff soccer match between France and England in Miami Gardens, Fla., Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Both teams had said they’d rather be playing in Sunday’s final. France had enough offensive firepower to potentially win the tournament, but Les Bleus lost to Spain in the semifinals and squandered their chance at reaching a third straight World Cup final. England blew a 1-0 lead against Argentina and lost 2-1 when Messi assisted on two late goals.

Still, a sellout crowd of 64,478 showed up to watch the seventh and final match of this World Cup at Hard Rock Stadium.

Plenty of supporters were cheering for both teams, but many were there simply for the atmosphere of the low-stakes match.

“I love English football,” said Gaston Esquivel, a native of Mexico City who came to support England. “I’ve followed the Premier League since I was a kid. I am a Manchester United fan. I like their style, I like their game.”

Thomas Viel, who traveled from Paris to follow France throughout the tournament, was hoping to see a hat trick by Mbappé. He nearly got his wish.

France trailed 4-0 when Mbappé flicked a shot past goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the 48th minute. Then he beat Henderson again with a left-footed strike from about 14 yards in the 66th.

“I think Messi will not score a hat trick tomorrow,” Viel said.

It was also the final match for France coach Didier Deschamps, who has said he will step down after 14 years. Deschamps embraced players and waved toward the crowd as he exited the pitch. (JapanToday)

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European football: Mbappé matches Ronaldo’s record as Real close on Barça

Kylian Mbappé equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 59 goals in a calendar year for Real Madrid with a late penalty in his side’s 2-0 home win over Sevilla in La Liga on Saturday, the French forward celebrating his 27th birthday in style.

Mbappé missed several earlier chances before getting his chance from the spot four minutes from time and he made no mistake to net his 59th goal in as many games across all competitions in 2025 to level Ronaldo’s 2013 haul.

Jude Bellingham put Real in front with a header seven minutes before half-time and Sevilla went down to 10 men with 22 minutes remaining after Marcão received a second booking but the hosts had keeper Thibaut Courtois to thank for keeping them ahead.

“Today, and because of the record, it’s incredible, in my first year to be able to do what Cristiano did,” Mbappé said afterwards. “My idol, the best player in the history of Real Madrid and a reference in world football. It’s an honour for me.”

Mbappé marked his goal by reproducing Ronaldo’s celebration, saying later: “I wanted to give him a little nod because he has always been affectionate with me. Normally I have my own celebration, but I wanted to share that with him, and like I said, he’s been my idol since I was a kid. I have a very good relationship with him, he’s a friend now.”

Real are second in the table on 42 points, one behind Barcelona who are away to third-placed Villarreal on Sunday, while Sevilla are ninth on 20 points.

Juventus kept themselves in the Serie A race with a 2-1 home win over AS Roma on Saturday, with Francisco Conceição and Loïs Openda netting the goals for the home side and Tommaso Baldanzi scoring for the visitors.

With the top three clubs all away at the Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, Roma were looking to take advantage and move level on points with leaders Inter Milan. Instead, Juventus moved back into the title hunt, one point behind Roma who remain fourth on 30 points, with Juventus fifth. Milan are in second place, with Napoli third.

Roma continue to struggle against the top sides having already lost to Inter, Milan and Napoli this season.

Bayer Leverkusen scored twice in four minutes to earn a 3-1 comeback victory at RB Leipzig, snapping their hosts’ unbeaten run at home this season and climbing into third going into the Bundesliga’s winter break.

Leverkusen are on 29 points, three behind second-placed Borussia Dortmund, 2-0 winners against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday. Bayern Munich, leading on 38, are at Heidenheim on Sunday. Leipzig dropped to fourth on goal difference. (Guardian)

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Nations League: Yamal shines as Spain edge France in nine-goal thriller

Spain booked their place in the UEFA Nations League final with a dramatic 5-4 victory over France on Thursday in Stuttgart, setting up a clash with Portugal, who defeated Germany 2-1 a day earlier.

The Spaniards raced into an early lead with goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Merino in the 22nd and 25th minutes respectively, both assisted by Mikel Oyarzabal.

The momentum remained with Spain as 16-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal converted from the penalty spot in the 54th minute to make it 3-0.

Just a minute later, Pedri added a fourth goal after another fine move involving Williams, putting Spain in complete control of the semi-final.

Although Kylian Mbappé reduced the deficit with a penalty in the 59th minute, Yamal responded almost immediately with his second of the night in the 67th minute to restore Spain’s four-goal advantage at 5-1.

France, however, mounted a fierce late comeback. Rayan Cherki struck in the 79th minute, followed by an own goal from Dani Vivian in the 84th.

Substitute Randal Kolo Muani added a fourth in stoppage time, assisted by Cherki, but it proved too little too late for Didier Deschamps’ side.

Meanwhile, in Munich on Wednesday, Portugal came from behind to defeat Germany 2-1. Florian Wirtz opened the scoring for the hosts in the 48th minute, but Francisco Conceicao levelled for Portugal in the 63rd before Cristiano Ronaldo secured the win five minutes later with a decisive goal in the 68th.

Following their respective victories, Portugal and Spain will meet in the final on Sunday at the Allianz Arena in Munich by 1900 GMT, while Germany will face France in the third-place play-off at the MHPArena in Stuttgart by 1300 GMT. (Punch)