Kylian Mbappe admits France were ‘completely stunned’ in FIFA World Cup bronze defeat to England

France captain Kylian Mbappe admitted Les Bleus were left “completely stunned” by England’s blistering first-half display in their 6-4 defeat in the FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place play-off, while insisting the loss would not diminish Didier Deschamps’ remarkable legacy as national team coach.

England secured the bronze medal after a record-breaking 10-goal thriller at Miami Stadium on Saturday (local time), bringing Deschamps’ 14-year spell in charge of France to a disappointing close.

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Mbappe reflects on disastrous first half

England raced into an extraordinary 4-0 lead before halftime, leaving France with a mountain to climb. Declan Rice opened the scoring in the third minute before Ezri Konsa doubled the advantage. Bukayo Saka then struck twice before the break as France conceded four first-half goals in a World Cup match for the first time.

Reflecting on the defeat, Mbappe admitted France failed to cope with England’s intensity in the opening 45 minutes but praised his teammates for their response after the interval.

“There were two very different halves. During the first one, I can understand why some people think we made fools of ourselves and didn’t do the jersey justice. I’d say instead that we were human—and we can’t afford to be. We were completely stunned, and they really shook us awake.

“In the second half, we went back to being top-level players, mental machines. In the end, we didn’t win, and that’s a shame for the coach. We wanted to do something for him. The first half gives the impression that we let him down—that’s not at all how we wanted him to feel. That match isn’t going to tarnish Didier Deschamps’ legacy,” Mbappe said, as quoted by FIFA.

France’s comeback falls short

France mounted an impressive fightback after the restart. Mbappe scored twice, while Bradley Barcola also found the net to reduce the deficit to 4-3 and put England under pressure.

The French captain also reached another historic milestone, taking his FIFA World Cup tally to 22 goals to move past Lionel Messi as the competition’s all-time leading goalscorer.

England, however, held their nerve. Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 87th minute before Ousmane Dembele struck deep into stoppage time. Jude Bellingham then wrapped up England’s memorable 6-4 victory with a goal in the 90+8th minute.

End of an era for Didier Deschamps

The defeat marked the end of Deschamps’ successful 14-year tenure as France head coach. Appointed in 2012, he guided Les Bleus to the 2018 FIFA World Cup title, another final in 2022, and a semifinal finish in the 2026 edition before stepping down after the tournament.