England defeated France 6-4 in the World Cup third-place match. Kylian Mbappé scored twice, reportedly becoming the all-time World Cup top scorer (at least temporarily), according to sports media reports.
The World Cup third-place match concluded early Sunday with England defeating France 6-4, and Kylian Mbappé's brace reportedly made him the all-time World Cup top scorer with 22 career goals — at least temporarily. The milestone was first reported by The Zioneer at 01:37 Jerusalem, as the match was still ongoing, and later confirmed in multiple updates. The record is described as 'at least temporary' because Lionel Messi, with 21 goals, plays in the final against Spain on Monday.
At 01:37 Jerusalem, The Zioneer published four rapid versions of the story: first reporting Mbappé's brace and the record (v1), then confirming England's 6-4 victory and third-place finish (v2), then specifying that Mbappé surpassed Lionel Messi's 21 goals (v3), and finally noting that Michael Olise also surpassed Pelé's all-time tournament goals record (v4). The initial reports cited journalist Ben Goldfriend (N12). At 02:23 Jerusalem, The Zioneer published full match coverage, including Bukayo Saka's hat-trick and France's comeback from 4-0 down, based on i24NEWS.
France had reached the semifinals for the third consecutive tournament, as The Zioneer reported on Jul 10, 03:04 Jerusalem, with Mbappé scoring his 20th goal. Earlier in the tournament, Mbappé's World Cup career tally reached 18 goals after a brace against Sweden, reported on Jul 1, 01:57 Jerusalem. England's path included a group-stage draw against Ghana and a round-of-16 win over Mexico.
What remains open: The record is not yet secure. Lionel Messi, who has 21 World Cup goals, will play in the final on Monday. If Messi scores, he could surpass Mbappé's 22 goals. The record is therefore reported as 'at least temporarily' held by Mbappé, pending the final.
5 developments
- StrongChannel 12 reports England beat Argentina 2-1, contradicting earlier result
- StrongWorld Cup 2026: England beats Croatia 4-2 in group-stage thriller
- DevelopingSaka hat-trick, Mbappé brace as England beats France 6-4 in third-place thriller
- DevelopingFrance beats Iraq 3-0 in World Cup, Mbappé scores brace
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