MIAMI, July 19 (ANI): France captain Kylian Mbappe moved ahead of Lionel Messi in the race for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot after scoring twice in France’s 6-4 loss to England in the third-place playoff on Saturday (local time).
The two goals took Mbappe’s tournament tally to 10, giving him a two-goal lead over Messi, who has scored eight.
Mbappe has recorded hat tricks against Senegal and Sweden, a brace against Iraq, a penalty against Paraguay, the opening goal against Morocco, and two more goals in the bronze medal match against England.
The brace also saw Mbappe make history by surpassing Messi to become the all-time leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history.
His two goals raised his career World Cup tally to 22 in just 22 matches, moving him one ahead of Messi, who scored 21 goals in 33 World Cup appearances.
After France trailed 4-0 at halftime, Mbappe opened his account in the 48th minute when Dayot Upamecano delivered a perfectly weighted pass into the penalty area. Mbappe calmly slotted the ball into the bottom-right corner, drawing level with Messi’s all-time World Cup scoring record.
His second goal came in the 66th minute, following Bradley Barcola’s strike in the 54th minute, cutting England’s lead to 4-3 and making Mbappe the outright leader in both the Golden Boot race and the all-time World Cup scoring charts.
The goal was created by Michael Olise, whose deft flick found Mbappe, who controlled the ball before firing a left-footed shot past England goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
England had dominated the opening half, storming to a 4-0 lead.
Declan Rice opened the scoring in the third minute, Ezri Konsa doubled the advantage in the 18th minute, and Bukayo Saka added two more goals in the 37th minute and first-half stoppage time as France conceded four goals in a single half of a FIFA World Cup match for the first time.
France mounted a spirited comeback after halftime.
In his 187th and final match as France manager, Didier Deschamps made tactical adjustments that transformed the contest. Mbappe scored in the 48th minute before Barcola made it 4-2 six minutes later. Mbappe’s second goal in the 66th minute brought France within one goal and put England under intense pressure.
England regained control late in the match when Saka converted an 87th-minute penalty to complete his hat trick and restore a two-goal lead.
Ousmane Dembele scored in the 90+6th minute to keep France’s hopes alive, but Jude Bellingham sealed England’s dramatic 6-4 victory with a goal two minutes later, ensuring the Three Lions ended their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with the bronze medal. (ANI)
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