As England's players nurse the heartbreak of a semi-final defeat to Argentina, they face one more match: Saturday's third-place play-off against France, live on BBC TV. The tournament isn't over for Thomas Tuchel's side, and despite the disappointment, there are reasons to watch. Chief among them is the Golden Boot race: France captain Kylian Mbappe is level with Lionel Messi on eight goals, but Messi leads on assists (four to three). Goals in the play-off count, so Mbappe could overtake him—or England's Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, two goals behind, might snatch the prize with a hat-trick. Victory would also give England men's their best World Cup finish since 1966, winning a third-place play-off for the first time.
Meanwhile, far from the pitch, a 97-year-old grandmother is preparing for her own high-stakes adventure. Betty Bromage, the Guinness World Record holder for oldest female wing walker, will complete her sixth wing walk in August. She first tried the hobby at age 87 after moving into Pegasus Homes' Latheram House in Cheltenham, following the death of her husband Donald in 2004. Freed from household chores, she recalled a 1991 Crunchie advert featuring a woman standing on a plane and thought, "I'd like to have a go at that." Her daughter-in-law took her to Gloucestershire Airport for her first flight. Since then, she has done four more wing walks—including one for her 90th birthday—plus a zip wire in Snowdonia and a 161-foot abseil down Cheltenham's Eagle Star building. She now aims to beat her own record set at age 93. Asked about her motivation, Bromage said: "The last thing I want is to lie in bed."
“England's World Cup play-off against France on Saturday coincides with 97-year-old Betty Bromage's sixth wing walk.”
