England produced a stunning first-half display to beat France 6-4 and claim third place at the 2026 World Cup – their best finish in 60 years – but the breathless goalfest was not without controversy, as BBC pundit Danny Murphy was forced to apologise live on air after slamming his microphone into the table in frustration.
Thomas Tuchel's side stormed into a 4-0 half-time lead thanks to goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and a brace from Bukayo Saka. The Arsenal forward completed his hat-trick after the break, while Jude Bellingham added a sixth in stoppage time to seal the win. France mounted a spirited fightback, but England held on to secure their highest placing since 1966.
“England beat France 6-4 for third place at 2026 World Cup, as Danny Murphy apologised for banging microphone live on air.”
During the second half, with England pushing for more goals, Saka and Bellingham both came close only to be denied by France goalkeeper Mike Maignan. The missed chances infuriated Murphy, who was seen on the edge of his seat reacting by banging his microphone on the table – a noise viewers at home could clearly hear. Commentator Steve Wilson quipped: "Danny, people can hear you if you bang your microphone on the table!" Murphy immediately apologised, saying: "Sorry, sorry. It was either that or shout really loud."
After the match, man of the match Saka reflected on a tournament that saw England fall short in the semi-finals, losing 2-1 to Argentina. "Of course I'd love to have played a bigger part but it's too late for that," he said. "I tried to do my talking on the pitch but it's time to move on. Yeah, I'm fit, I'm fit." The 24-year-old entered the tournament as a fitness concern after playing through injury to help Arsenal win the Premier League. He refused to be drawn into criticism of Tuchel, who faced calls to be sacked after Argentina's late comeback, adding: "I think it's just part of the game, when you win there will be noise and when you lose, it's about how you react to it and use it as fuel, we finished strong. We built and built across…"
The third-place play-off – often dismissed as a redundant fixture – turned into a breathless goalfest, and England's best finish in six decades may yet silence some of the noise around the manager.