England Beats France 6-4 for World Cup Bronze as Rice Calls Squad Best in Decades

A record-setting third-place finish secured England their best tournament result since 1966 and prompted captain Declan Rice to declare this the finest group in a generation.

England defeated France 6-4 in the World Cup third-place match on Saturday to claim the bronze medal and set a new scoring record for the consolation fixture. Stand-in captain Declan Rice declared the current squad the best group England has assembled in a very long time, a verdict delivered immediately after the final whistle confirmed their highest tournament finish since winning the title in 1966 [2][5]. The scoreline rewrote the history books for a match often treated as an afterthought, but the result carried weight far beyond statistical novelty for a team seeking validation after semi-final heartbreak.

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