Rabiot criticises France's 'shameful' first half as England seal 6-4 win

England secured third place at the 2026 World Cup with a 6-4 victory over France in Miami, a result that gave them their best tournament finish since lifting the trophy in 1966. France midfielder Adrien Rabiot afterwards described some of his side's first-half conduct as shameful.

England raced into a 4-0 half-time lead before France fought back to 4-3 midway through the second period, but they could not complete the recovery. The ten-goal contest ranks as the joint third-highest scoring match in World Cup history.

Rabiot unhappy with France's first-half display

Speaking to beIN SPORTS, Rabiot said he saw behaviour from certain players that he had never witnessed before, calling it a disappointment given this was France's final match of the competition. He added that the squad spoke at half-time about showing more pride, and that the performance improved considerably after the break, but that the first-half attitude was unacceptable.

• England beat France 6-4 in Miami to claim third place, their best World Cup finish since 1966.
• Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick, the first by an England player at a World Cup since Geoff Hurst in the 1966 final.
• Jude Bellingham's seventh goal of the tournament made him England's leading scorer at a single World Cup.
• Kylian Mbappe scored twice to move ahead of Lionel Messi as the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer.
• Rayan Cherki appeared to argue with Didier Deschamps during a first-half hydration break.

Deschamps signs off as England look ahead

The defeat brought an end to Didier Deschamps' tenure as France manager, with Zinedine Zidane expected to take over. Cherki was one of five France players given a 2/10 rating by L'Equipe, the French sports daily known for its severe assessments.

For England, the win offered some consolation after their semi-final exit to Argentina. Declan Rice, who captained the side with Harry Kane rested, said the current group is the strongest England have had in a long time and that the squad can be proud of its run, while acknowledging the disappointment of missing out on the final.

Attention now turns to Sunday's final, where Spain face Argentina. The match kicks off at 8pm BST.