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England Edge France 6-4 in World Cup Third-Place Thriller to Secure Bronze Medal

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England produced a remarkable attacking display to defeat France 6-4 in a dramatic FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place play-off, ending their campaign with a bronze medal after one of the highest-scoring matches in the tournament’s history. 

The match, played in Miami, saw England race into a commanding first-half lead before surviving a spirited French comeback in a pulsating contest that delivered 10 goals and entertained football fans around the world. 

Thomas Tuchel’s side made an explosive start, taking control of the match with goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and a brilliant first-half brace from Bukayo Saka.

England entered the break with a commanding 4-0 advantage, leaving France with a mountain to climb after a disappointing opening 45 minutes. 

France emerged from the interval with renewed energy.

Captain Kylian Mbappé sparked the revival with an early goal before Bradley Barcola reduced the deficit further. Mbappé then struck again to bring France within touching distance as England’s comfortable lead suddenly looked vulnerable. 

The French comeback gathered momentum late in the game when Ousmane Dembélé also found the net, reducing the score to 5-4 and setting up a tense finish. 

With France pressing for an equaliser, Bukayo Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot to restore England’s cushion before Jude Bellingham added a sixth goal deep into stoppage time, ensuring the Three Lions secured third place. 

Saka’s outstanding performance earned widespread praise as he finished the tournament with one of England’s finest individual displays. 

Despite France’s defeat, Mbappé enjoyed a memorable evening personally.

His two goals further strengthened his position among the tournament’s leading scorers and added another chapter to his remarkable World Cup career. 

Although England fell short of reaching the World Cup final after their semi-final defeat to Argentina, the bronze medal represents the country’s best World Cup finish in decades and provides encouragement for manager Thomas Tuchel ahead of future international competitions. 

For France, the defeat concludes a campaign that promised much but ultimately ended without silverware, despite another impressive tournament from Mbappé. 

While the third-place play-off does not carry the prestige of the World Cup final, England’s victory demonstrated the team’s attacking quality and resilience.

The match will also be remembered as one of the most entertaining encounters of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with ten goals, dramatic momentum swings and standout individual performances.

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Kane Hits 100 Bundesliga Goals as Bayern Thrash Union Berlin 7-0

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Harry Kane reached another remarkable milestone on Friday as Bayern Munich defeated Union Berlin 7-0, with the England captain becoming the fastest player to score 100 goals in Bundesliga history.

Kane scored twice in the emphatic victory, taking his Bundesliga tally to 101 goals in just 98 domestic appearances.

The feat saw the Bayern striker break the previous record held by former Cologne forward Dieter Müller, who reached 100 Bundesliga goals in 129 matches in 1977.

Kane’s latest achievement adds to a growing list of records he has broken since joining Bayern Munich.

The England captain has also become the fastest Bayern player to reach 75, 100 and 150 goals in all competitions.

His brace against Union Berlin means Kane has now scored 156 goals in 156 matches for Bayern across domestic and international competitions.

However, despite Kane’s historic night, France international Michael Olise stole the spotlight by scoring a hat-trick as Bayern produced one of their most dominant performances of the season.

Bayern, wearing a special kit to mark the beginning of Oktoberfest, made their intentions clear from the opening stages and took the lead in the 18th minute.

Jamal Musiala opened the scoring with a powerful strike after Alphonso Davies cut the ball back to him on the edge of the penalty area.

The Germany international unleashed a fierce effort that gave Union goalkeeper Frederik Ronnow no chance.

Luis Diaz appeared to have doubled Bayern’s advantage shortly afterwards, but the effort was ruled out for offside.

Kane then got his opportunity to make history from the penalty spot.

Union defender Tom Rothe made contact with Olise inside the area, prompting the referee to award Bayern a penalty. Kane stepped up and confidently converted to score his 100th Bundesliga goal.

Bayern continued to dominate and added a third goal before the break through Olise.

The French winger met a pass from Musiala first time from the edge of the box, sending a beautifully controlled effort into the top corner to leave Ronnow helpless.

Union attempted to respond after the interval, with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer forced into action twice in quick succession.

Neuer first denied Janik Haberer after the Union forward found himself with a good opportunity, preserving Bayern’s three-goal advantage.

The visitors’ struggles have been evident at the beginning of the campaign, having scored only four goals while conceding 17 in their opening four league matches.

Their situation worsened in the 54th minute when Olise delivered an excellent cross from the right for Kane, who guided a header into the net for his second goal of the night.

The goal took Kane’s Bundesliga tally to 101.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany subsequently introduced Ismael Saibari, and the substitute made an immediate impact.

Seven minutes after coming on, Saibari scored his first goal for Bayern after Davies once again provided the assist. The Morocco international shrugged off his marker before firing a powerful finish into the net to make it 5-0.

Olise then added his second goal of the evening three minutes later.

The winger beat the offside trap, rounded Ronnow and finished from a tight angle, with the ball going in off the near post.

He completed his hat-trick just three minutes later.

Tom Bischof supplied the pass, allowing Olise to cut inside and bend a superb effort into the net from outside the box to complete Bayern’s seven-goal rout.

The victory was Bayern’s biggest since their 8-1 demolition of Wolfsburg in January and further underlined their attacking strength.

The result also moved the defending champions to the top of the Bundesliga table, although their position could change when other unbeaten sides return to action.

Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund, who had both maintained 100 per cent records at the start of the campaign, have the opportunity to reclaim top spot on Saturday when they face Eintracht Frankfurt and Stuttgart respectively.

For Kane, however, the night belonged to another landmark in an already record-breaking Bayern career, while Olise’s hat-trick ensured that the historic achievement came as part of an unforgettable team performance in Munich.

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Ronaldo Included in Portugal’s Nations League Squad Under Jorge Jesus

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Cristiano Ronaldo will continue to represent Portugal after being named in the national squad selected by newly appointed head coach Jorge Jesus for the country’s upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures.

Ronaldo’s inclusion ends any immediate uncertainty surrounding his international future, with the veteran forward remaining part of the Portugal setup as Jesus begins his tenure as head coach.

The 41-year-old remains one of the most influential figures in Portuguese football and continues to hold the records as Portugal’s all-time leading goalscorer and most-capped player.

According to football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano in a post on X on Friday, Ronaldo has been called up by Jesus for Portugal’s upcoming matches.

“Cristiano Ronaldo will continue with Portugal national team! He’s been called up for the upcoming games by new head coach Jorge Jesus,” Romano stated.

Ronaldo’s presence will also give Jesus the opportunity to work with one of the most experienced players in the Portugal dressing room as the new manager begins preparations for the Nations League campaign.

Portugal will open their 2026/27 UEFA Nations League campaign on September 24, when they host Wales in their first Group 4 fixture.

Four days later, on September 28, Portugal will travel to face Norway before another away fixture against Denmark on October 1.

The Portuguese side will then return home to host Norway on October 4 in their fourth group-stage match.

Their final two group fixtures will see Portugal travel to Denmark on November 14 before concluding the group stage away to Wales on November 17.

Portugal are competing in League A, Group 4 alongside Wales, Norway and Denmark.

With Ronaldo retained in the squad, attention will now turn to how Jesus uses the veteran forward as Portugal begin their latest Nations League campaign and prepare for the challenges ahead.

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Arteta Buries Hatchet With Hurzeler Ahead of Brighton vs Arsenal Clash

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has played down his previous disagreement with Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler ahead of their Premier League meeting at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.

The two managers fell out last season after Brighton suffered a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in March, with Hurzeler criticising the Gunners’ approach to the game.

The German accused Arsenal of “making their own rules” and claimed that only Brighton had tried to play football during the encounter.

With Arsenal returning to Brighton this weekend, attention had been drawn to whether the disagreement would resurface on the touchline.

However, Arteta insisted on Friday that there was no lingering hostility between him and his Brighton counterpart.

“That’s all done. That’s all in the past,” Arteta told reporters.

“I have huge respect for Fabian, and what he’s done and what Brighton has done as a club.

“It’s just remarkable, and tomorrow is going to be a beautiful game to watch, I’m sure.”

Hurzeler, meanwhile, maintained that he had no regrets about expressing his opinion after last season’s encounter.

“I think it’s very important that in football there are opinions,” he said.

“I will definitely always share my opinion if I am asked. But, in the end, I congratulate Arsenal for being deserved champions.

They deserved it.”

The meeting comes as Arsenal enjoy an impressive start to their Premier League title defence.

The Gunners have won their opening four league matches to move to the top of the table.

They have also started their Champions League campaign with a victory over Napoli and advanced to the fourth round of the League Cup after defeating Ipswich Town on Tuesday.

Teenage midfielder Max Dowman was among the standout performers against Ipswich, scoring twice in his first appearance of the season.

The 16-year-old had been an unused substitute during Arsenal’s opening weeks but has now strengthened his case for greater involvement in Arteta’s plans.

Asked whether Dowman had been pushing for more playing time, Arteta said the best way for any player to convince a manager was through performances.

“The best way to knock on the door is to do it on the pitch, not in the office,” he said.

“Then you just leave out the arguments. When a player delivers constantly on the pitch, every single day in training, that’s the best way, that’s the best signal for the manager.”

Arsenal have now won seven consecutive matches in all competitions, including the Community Shield victory over Manchester City.

A victory at Brighton would see the Gunners equal the club’s 123-year record for their best start to a campaign.

Arteta acknowledged the difficulty of maintaining such a winning run, particularly after the disruption caused by the World Cup.

“We know how complicated it is to win a football match at this level. So, to win seven, it tells a story,” he said.

“After the World Cup, there were a lot of unknowns about how the players and the team were going to react. We didn’t have any time with them to work together.

“But I said from day one, the attitude and what I was seeing, I was really impressed with. Then you have to put it down to performances.”

Meanwhile, Arteta also provided an update on his contract situation at Arsenal.

The Spanish coach is yet to sign an extension, with negotiations having continued for several months. However, he said there was no cause for concern over the matter.

“I think we are all very much aligned;

whenever the time is right we’ll get that done.

There is nothing to be concerned about,” Arteta said.

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