Didier Deschamps’ final match as France manager unspooled as a fever dream of collapse and revival, ending in a 6-4 defeat to England in the World Cup third-place playoff at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. England stormed into a 4-0 lead inside 45 minutes, Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and a Bukayo Saka brace shredding a French defence that looked paralysed. After the interval, Les Bleus transformed. Kylian Mbappé scored twice, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé added goals, and France pulled to within one at 4-3. The comeback stalled when Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot and Jude Bellingham struck in stoppage time, sealing England’s first podium finish since 1966 and consigning France to fourth place.

Mbappé’s two goals took his career World Cup tally to 22, moving him past Lionel Messi, and his ten strikes in the tournament secured the Golden Boot. Yet the forward’s focus before and after the match was on the departing coach. In a social-media message posted hours before kick-off, he wrote: “We should have offered you a better ending, but we failed.” He described Deschamps as “a major actor in the rebirth of this team” and added that “people have not always known how to appreciate your greatness, but time and history will take care of that.” After the final whistle, Mbappé insisted the chaotic defeat would not tarnish the legacy of a man who captained France to the 1998 title and coached them to the 2018 crown.

Deschamps, 57, leaves after 14 years in charge, a period in which France became international football’s most consistent tournament force. He took over in 2012 with the national side still scarred by the 2010 World Cup mutiny, and leaves having reached three consecutive World Cup semi-finals, two finals, and winning the 2018 edition in Russia. His record of 20 World Cup victories as a coach is unmatched. French media note that the only other men to lift the trophy as player and manager are Mário Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer. Domestically, however, his pragmatic style often drew criticism, a tension Mbappé acknowledged by saying the public had not always recognised his contribution.

Viewed from Paris, the succession is already taking shape. French outlets report that Zinedine Zidane, Deschamps’ former teammate and a three-time Champions League-winning coach with Real Madrid, is expected to sign a contract on 1 September to lead Les Bleus into the next cycle. The new manager will inherit a squad rich in talent but facing the familiar challenge of converting depth into silverware. For now, the immediate consequence is a fourth-place finish that leaves France without a medal for the first time since 2014, closing the book on an era defined by deep tournament runs and a single, transformative world title.