Thomas Tuchel was probably kicking himself for squandering the Argentina game in the final minutes. His England has been a genuinely well ticking attacking side that can play great football and the bronze position match against France proved it.
Didier Deschamps’ team was once again cutting a clueless figure in the starting minutes against England. The pace and frequency of attacks paired with the first goal in the 3rd minute caught them completely off-guard as they scampered for possession. Going
4-0 down in the first half, Kylian Mbappé inspired some fight back into the game with a brace. Michael Olise who looked to redeem himself in this fixture after a poor performance in the semi-final had a very mixed performance.
England on the other hand were the better team who deservedly won the fixture. They created more chances and took them better than France, who repeated their mistakes from previous games. Without further ado, here the match awards from this game:
Losing team Jersey Swap: Kylian Mbappé, France
Kylian Mbappé deserved the Jersey Swap award for simply capitalizing on the moments that came across him. The French forward scored a brace to become the player with the highest goals in the World Cup with 22. His weaker left foot delivered the precise strikes into the corner. Mbappé’s goals were crucial to inspire his team back into the game after going down by 4 goals in a single half.
Michael Olise was the French player who took the most initiative in attack and defense. However, the Bayern Munich talisman repeatedly missed in front of goal. Despite being the creative center of his team and assisting two goals his sheer inaccuracy killed France’s chance of a comeback.
Der Kaiser: Ezri Konsa, England
The central defensive duo of Enzri Konsa and Marc Guéhi were the best on the pitch until the arrival of Dayot Upamecano. The English pair were charged with the task of stopping a different looking French attack. They dealt well with the pace of Mbappé and co while also cleverly managing space in between and behind them. France had a total of 53 touches in England’s box, but several of these situations did not look all that dangerous. Overloads, last man tackles combined with the inaccuracy of the opposition saw France squander several chances. Konsa’s header to score his team’s second goal was well taken and beat Adrien Rabiot in the process and gave Konsa the edge in the awards.
Fußballgott: Declan Rice, England
The England holding midfielder held the base of the fury unleashed on Didier Deschamps’ men. Leading his team from the front, captain Rice hammered the first goal of the game and shook the opposition. What followed was a barrage of attacks that made France look like a youth team.
England put a massive dent to Les Bleus in the first half with 4 goals. At the root of that relentless attack was Rice’s toil. He was the vital cog in his team’s 25 second ball recovery time. In this statistic, they beat the opposition by a respectable eight second gap. With seven tackles and three interceptions, Rice single handedly outdid the double pivot of Adrien Rabiot and Warren Zaïre-Emery. He topped it all off with a peach of a delivery from the corner that Konsa headed home for England’s second goal.
Der Bomber: Eberechi Eze, England
The 28-year-old was a nuisance for his opponents. He was often England’s vertical force as he went in their faces and became a problem that the French could not solve. He built upon England’s base and control the direction and tempo through the middle. For an attacking midfielder who is expected to make risky passes and create a chance for his team, Eze did not misplace a single pass. His assist for France’s third goal deceived two French players. His turn and diagonal pass took them out and his perfectly weighed pass landed right in front of a charging Saka. The pass needed just one touch before being shot into goal.
Meister of the Match: Bukayo Saka
The winger’s pace, precision and power were just too good for the French goalkeeper Mike Maignon. While the first goal was choppy, the second and third from his hattrick were a pure delight to watch. Beating Theo Hernández, Saka’s no look shot into the corner of the net after running across the French backline was a crisp and clean finish to a wonderful through ball from Eze.
The penalty was just perfect. Low, powerful and into the corner leaving the goalkeeper with no chance at all. This World Cup has seen its fair share of saves from the spot, but Saka delivered with incredible composure as he got himself a deserved hattrick and his team, a deserved victory.
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