Declan Rice was spotted with a face like thunder after England's bonkers 6-4 victory over France in the World Cup bronze medal match. Rice, who captained the national team with Harry Kane on the bench, got the third place match rolling with a fine goal after three minutes against Les Bleus.
Chaotic Match Overview
It proved to be the starting gun of an extraordinary clash against Didier Deschamps' side which saw England go 4-0 up, then get pegged back to 4-3 after half time. The Three Lions did manage to get over the line in Miami, to ensure this tournament was the country's best performance at a World Cup since 1966.
However, that was little consolation to Rice, who still appeared to be simultaneously weighed down by the disappointment of Wednesday night's defeat to Argentina and the frustration of almost throwing the match away.
Rice's Reaction at Full Time
At full time, Rice slumped to the ground and had the look of a man who was still seething with the defeat to Argentina. He was also seen walking around the pitch in Miami with the same expression on his face. It demonstrated his mentality as he was evidently furious with the way England almost lost the match.
First Half Dominance
After Rice's fine goal within the first three minutes, Ezri Konsa headed in the Arsenal man's corner to double the lead. After the hydration break, Bukayo Saka scored a quick-fire brace to hand the Three Lions a monumental 4-0 lead.
France's Comeback
Deschamps made four changes at half time and was immediately paid back by Kylian Mbappe scoring within three minutes of the second half. England's lead was then sliced in half by Bradley Barcola, one of Deschamps' substitutions, finding the net just six minutes later. The blue shirts began to overwhelm those in white, and on 66 minutes, Mbappe added his second with a great strike to make it 4-3.
England Regain Control
Elliot Anderson and Jude Bellingham's introduction led to England getting back control of the ball and the bronze medal match was seemingly sealed when Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot, after the excellent Djed Spence was brought down in the box. However, the Three Lions were breached again by Ousmane Dembele in the 96th minute, who found the net after so many of his team-mates missed excellent chances.
Bellingham Seals Victory
As English fears of losing another lead began to linger, Bellingham completed an immense counter-attack by essentially dribbling through the whole French team before placing the ball in the corner. Mixed emotions were definitely the theme of the result and while the match will live long in the memory, it will surely not banish the pain of the loss to Argentina.
