When Ibrahima Konaté said French players did not want to play the third-place playoff game against England, he probably meant it in its truest form. Les Blues broke a 58-year low in just 45 minutes against England, as fans voiced their frustration over a dismal first-half display in the World Cup third-place play-off.
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England’s Declan Rice intercepted a stray pass on the halfway line and slotted one home in the third minute to make it 1-0 for England. It opened the floodgates as England piled on more misery on a French side that looked flat and lacked urgency.
“France, even though you don’t care about this match. It’s disgusting to allow 4 goals in the first half when there are fans who travelled and paid to support you in the stadium,” a fan wrote on X, referring to the fans who made it to Miami on a hot day.
As Ezri Konsa made it 2-0 by leaping above and beyond in the 18th minute, English fans couldn’t believe their luck. “France are so bad, we can really take anything,” a fan commented.
Bukayo Saka made it 3-0 in the 37th minute after some comical defending from France. Michael Olise and Rayan Cherki, two of their most advanced players, usually were defending in the box when Saka and Marcus Rashford attacked, and the ball ended up in the back of the net from Saka.
“France have actually just given up,” a fan believed France didn’t have enough motivation after missing out on what would have been a third consecutive World Cup final.
Before halftime, Saka made it 4-0 with another excellent finish as France had conceded four first-half goals for the first time since a EURO qualification match against Yugoslavia in April 1968.
“This France nah useless team,” a fan who couldn’t comprehend the shocking level displayed by France lashed out on X.
Fans criticized Konate after he called the game a Chocolate Medal match and was poor in the first half. By losing 3/4 ground duels and having only 1 defensive contribution, he was a passenger in the game as the English attack feasted.
“France conceded 4 goals in the entirety of the World Cup. Konate plays his first WC game vs England and concedes 4 goals in 45 mins 😭😭😭,” a fan posted on X.
England head coach Thomas Tuchel revealed how his team treats the game as a professional courtesy at the World Cup. It was a thorough, professional job from them until the changes made by France at halftime.
At the time of writing, France got three goals back after a Kylian Mbappé brace and a Bradley Barcola goal to make it 4-3 and entertain the fans, the original purpose intended for the third-place playoff at the World Cup from FIFA.
