Madrid World Cup Spotlight: Mbappe finishes his WC in style with brace against England

Madrid World Cup Spotlight: Mbappe finishes his WC in style with brace against England The 2026 FIFA World Cup is almost at its end, with only the final left after a wild third-place play-off between France and England. England beat France 6-4 in Miami to finish third, in a game that became the highest-scoring World Cup match since 1982. It was not the final either team wanted to be playing, but it turned into one of the most entertaining games of the tournament. France started with Kylian Mbappe and Ibrahima Konate, while England kept Jude Bellingham on the bench before introducing him late. Both managers rotated heavily, which gave the match a looser, more open feeling than a semi-final or final would have had. England raced into a 4-0 lead through Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and a Bukayo Saka double, before France responded after half-time. Mbappe scored twice, Ousmane Dembele also found the net late, but England still had the final word through Bellingham in stoppage time. From a Real Madrid perspective, Mbappe managed to strengthen his case for the Golden Boot, Bellingham had yet another moment in the sun, but Konate had a difficult night. Kylian Mbappe vs England Mbappe scored twice vs England. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images) Kylian Mbappe did not end the World Cup with a medal, but he did end it by reminding everyone why he remains the most dangerous forward in the game. The Real Madrid superstar scored twice in the second half, taking his tournament tally to 10 goals. This also saw him move to 22 goals on the all-time charts, surpassing Lionel Messi’s 21, although the Argentine will have a chance to respond tomorrow. That is an extraordinary individual achievement, even if France’s team performance was chaotic. Mbappe looked determined to drag his side back from an almost impossible position, and for a while, he made the comeback feel possible. Even in a broken game, even when France were chasing shadows defensively, Mbappe still found a way to score twice and stay central to the story. The frustration is that it came in defeat, but it does not take away from the stellar World Cup he had. Ibrahima Konate vs England Konate was taken off at half-time. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) Ibrahima Konate had the hardest night of the Madrid trio. The French defender started in a heavily changed back line, but France were badly exposed in the first half. Conceding four before the break in any World Cup game is damaging. Doing it in a third-place play-off, with the whole world watching, made it feel even messier. It would be unfair to place all of that on Konate. France’s midfield protection was poor, England attacked with speed, and the whole defensive structure looked loose. Still, for a centre-back, this was not a performance to remember kindly. From a Real Madrid perspective, the concern is not one bad result. It was the fact that their new summer signing looked completely out of sorts last night. Konate will want to put this one behind him as soon as possible. Jude Bellingham vs France Bellingham scored a fantastic goal vs France. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images) Jude Bellingham started on the bench, but still found a way to leave his signature on the game. The Real Madrid midfielder scored England’s sixth goal in the 98th minute, finishing a counter-attack as France desperately pushed for an equaliser. It was his seventh goal of the tournament, making him the first Englishman to reach that mark at a World Cup. That is pure Bellingham. Even in a game that had already turned chaotic, he arrived late, read the moment and finished with the authority of a player who expects to decide matches. Much like Mbappe, he has had a sensational tournament too and will return to Jose Mourinho’s setup with a lot of confidence.