The FIFA World Cup third-place playoff, rebranded this year as the bronze medal match, is normally a game that no side ever wants to play and head coaches of both England and France had said the same in the run-up to the match in Miami on Saturday. It was also evident from the way the sides played, with scant attention given to defending, all of which led to the match ending up being a record breaking exhibition.
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England raced to a 4-0 lead in the first half against a French side who were looking slightly lost. The English players themselves hardly celebrated the goals. However, things changed when France came out all guns blazing and cut England’s lead down to one goal in the second half. At the end of the slug fest, there were big smiles on the faces of both sets of players, as was the case for the fans in the stands who ended watching a 10-goal thriller. England won it 6-4.