Excitement does not come any better than this, does it?? I was easily one of those who was sure that the Bronze Final between France and England would be the real World Cup Final. But nothing prepared me (or the world) for what it actually turned out to be : an Absolute Cinema.
France conceded a goal in the third minute from Declan Rice to get England an early lead. What followed is better when witnessed with one’s own two eyes! Konsa outwitted France’s Rabiot with a sensational header to double it for England’s Three Lions. A goal, which was totally avoidable
A third goal followed in the 37th minute by BUKAYO Saka and in less than 10minutes, England had their fourth goal!, also by Saka. Four goals in France’s net before the half time was over was definitely not on anyone’s bingo card. Looked like an apparent, (from hindsight alone) decimation ritual of France by their English opponents meant that many French Fans were a contortion of Disbelief and Dejection.
The English as if trying to counteract Donald Trump had “unpacked their bus” and pressed forward one attack after another.
At a point it was fair to assume France was probably going to suffer a similar Germany-Brazil fate as in Brazil 2014. Worse, the goals came for England although both Bellingham and Harry Kane were still on the bench! Even more concerning was the fact that all the “important” French players were also on the bench including: Dembele, Barcola and Upamecano.
Then came the second half, the real Showdown …
France made the comeback of the tournament after making us believe they weren’t such a great team after all, then set to show us why most people tipped them to win the World Cup in the first place.
Kylian Mbappé started it, scoring a brace within the first 20 minutes. Barcola’s stunner in the 54th minute sandwiched itself between Mbappés brace.. Ghanaians’ best friend number 1; DJed Spence put up quite a spirited performance, eventually winning a penalty for England and leading to Saka’s hat-trick, putting England at 5 goals!.
But France were not done yet. In the 96th minute (6 of 7-minute Injury time), Dembélé glided through with a Ballon d’Or dribble to produce a stunning fourth goal for France; a goal he refused to celebrate 😳. After Jude Bellingham was subbed in, he crowned everything with a counterattack, in the very final minute of Injury time confidently outwitting every French defender on the field, until he got the ball home to the back of the net. At the Final Whistle, one person was most inconsolable, our beloved Michael Olise; who wasted three clear chances to add to the scoresheet of France. But he will not be blamed. He assisted Mbappé to score. And both Teams were simply a class act in this unforgettable World Cup Moment.
