Tag: Ousmane Dembélé

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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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PSG hold off Bayern to set up UCL final with Arsenal

Luis Enrique and Paris Saint-Germain are headed back to the Champions League final after a 1-1 second-leg semifinal draw with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night.

PSG edged a thrilling 5-4 game in the first leg in Paris last week, and the defending champions made the advantage count to progress 6-5 on aggregate to set up a final in Budapest against Arsenal on May 30.

“It’s magnificent, two finals,” PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said after the game. “Now we will go there and try to fetch a second star. I said to the players we are warriors.”

PSG’s defense – breached four times in Paris last week – kept Bayern’s much vaunted attack of Harry Kane, Luis Díaz and Micheal Olise largely in check.

“We know how to suffer and we’re ready for what we have to face,” PSG midfielder João Neves said. “We’re very proud of how far we’ve come.”

Ousmane Dembélé blasted home a first-time finish to open the scoring, with the assist going to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia after a blistering run down the left flank and cutback pass to the France international.

Bayern were up in arms shortly after the 30-minute mark when the referee neglected to call handball on Nuno Mendes, who was already on a yellow card, and then waved off shouts for another possible handball on João Neves — this one coming in PSG’s own penalty area.

It did not appear the VAR was consulted on either decision, while replays showed that the referee had already blown his whistle for a handball on Bayern’s Konrad Laimer before the perceived Mendes infraction.

With the assist, Kvaratskhelia became the first player to score or assist in seven consecutive Champions League knockout stage games in a single season and drew level with Kylian Mbappé for the most goal contributions in the UCL season with 16 (10 goals, six assists).

Try as they might, the hosts could not find a way back into the game in the second half until Kane scored a late consolation goal just before the final whistle blew. Bayern had won five of their past seven meetings with PSG in Munich, and were going for a repeat of the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup treble they won in 2020 and 2013.

That bid ultimately came up one goal short, with PSG looking more likely to score than Bayern in the second 45 minutes.

“I understand if they’re disappointed,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany told TNT Sports when asked what he said afterwards to his players. “I think we gave everything.”

After the teams returned from the break, Manuel Neuer saved twice in quick succession from Désiré Doué and Kvaratskhelia. Doué tried again soon after with a low drive that brought the best stop yet from the Bayern goalkeeper.

The hosts came close again through Diaz, who was denied by Matvei Safonov, but PSG were carrying the greater threat. Doué blasted an effort inches wide of the post with Neuer beaten as the European champions looked to seal it.

Kvaratskhelia brushed past Bayern’s defence and bore down on goal but badly missed his kick, with the goal and tie at his mercy.

England captain Kane finally found space inside the box to lash a finish into the roof of the net deep in stoppage time, but a famous fightback was not to be.

PSG and Bayern came into the second leg as the top-scoring sides in the competition with 43 and 42 goals, respectively. It’s the first time two teams have scored more than 40 in the same season — with the expanded League Phase format playing a role.

“It was a game of details. I think we’ve played five times against PSG in the last two years and we’ve won two times, they’ve won two times and now was a draw, so it’s just been that kind of game every single time,” Kompany added. “We have to look at some of the phases that were decided by the officials across the two games which.

“It’s never an excuse for everything, but it matters.”

Arsenal sealed their spot in the final on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over Atlético Madrid to advance 2-1 on aggregate over Diego Simeone’s side.

PSG will try to become only the second team to repeat as Champions League winners, with Real Madrid having done so twice by winning the competition three times in a row between 2016 and 2018. (ESPN)

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Dembélé and Bonmatí crowned at Fifa Best 2025 as Wiegman and Hampton win awards

The France forward Ousmane Dembélé and the Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmatí were crowned the Fifa Best men’s and women’s players of 2025 respectively at the world governing body’s awards ceremony in Doha.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Dembélé won the trophy for the first time after his club’s maiden Champions League triumph, while Barcelona’s Bonmatí won for the third consecutive year, after her club reached a Champions League final and Spain were Euro 2025 runners-up.

The best women’s coach prize was awarded to Sarina Wiegman for the fifth time, in recognition of England’s successful defence of their European title, while PSG’s Luis Enrique received the men’s coach honour.

Wiegman, in a pre-recorded acceptance speech, said: “Thank you to the FA for their continued support for me and the team. This award is actually for players and staff. We’ve shown so much conviction, belief and togetherness that led us to our second Euro win. Moving into 2026, let’s keep pushing the women’s game forward together.”

Four Lionesses – Hannah Hampton, Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson and Alessia Russo – were named in a best women’s XI that was otherwise made up of Spain internationals: the Arsenal midfielder Mariona Caldentey and six Barcelona players.

The men’s best XI included England’s Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer – who starred at the Club World Cup – in a team otherwise dominated by PSG and Barcelona players. Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma was named as the goalkeeper but the timeframe for these awards took into account performances between 11 August 2024 and 2 August 2025, when Donnarumma was playing for PSG. There was no place for Harry Kane, but the 18‑year‑old Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal was included.

Hampton was named the 2025 Fifa Best women’s goalkeeper, completing a global goalkeeper award double after she received the Ballon d’Or prize for keepers in September. Wiegman, Luis Enrique, Bonmatí, Dembélé and Donnarumma were also Ballon d’Or winners.

Hampton saved two penalties in the European Championship final shootout and helped Chelsea to win a domestic treble last season. She is also on the shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, which will be announced on Thursday.

Hampton is the sixth winner of Fifa’s Best women’s goalkeeper award since its inception in 2019, after Sari van Veenendaal, Sarah Bouhaddi in 2020, Christiane Endler in 2021, the two-time winner Mary Earps and the winner last year, Alyssa Naeher of the US.Votes are collected from national team coaches and captains, specialist journalists and fans, each making up 25% of the poll. Hampton thanked those who had voted for her, before namechecking her coaches: “To Sarina [Wiegman] and to Sonia [Bompastor] for the belief in me this year. Both at club and country, we’ve achieved so much and there’s still so much set out for us to go and get.”

Donnarumma took the men’s prize after lifting the Champions League for the first time at the end of a campaign in which PSG won a domestic treble. “It was an incredible year, one that will live long in my memory, and it’s touching to be recognised for my role in the success achieved over that period,” Donnarumma said.

Lizbeth Ovalle won the Marta award, for the most popular goal scored in women’s football in 2025, named after the Brazil legend Marta, who was also nominated. Ovalle took the prize for her remarkable and unusual flicked goal scored for Tigres against Guadalajara in Liga MX Femenil action on 3 March. She later signed for the American club Orlando Pride for $1.5m.

The Puskas award for the best men’s goal went to Santiago Montiel, who scored with a breathtaking overhead kick for the Argentinian side Independiente against Independiente Rivadavia. His cousin Gonzalo Montiel scored Argentina’s decisive penalty kick in the 2022 World Cup final against France. (Guardian)