Miami: Outgoing France head coach Didier Deschamps accepted full responsibility for his side's dramatic 6-4 defeat to England in the FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place playoff, describing Les Bleus' opening-half display as "disgraceful."

England stormed into a 4-0 lead before halftime, with Declan Rice opening the scoring before Ezri Konsa and a first-half brace from Bukayo Saka left France facing their heaviest-ever first-half concession in a World Cup match.

Although France mounted a spirited comeback after the break, they ultimately fell short as England secured the bronze medal in a thrilling 10-goal contest, bringing Deschamps' 14-year spell in charge of the national team to an end.

Deschamps accepts responsibility

Reflecting on the defeat, Deschamps admitted his team had failed badly in the opening 45 minutes but praised their response after halftime.

"It's a loss. We were down 4-0; we played a disgraceful first-half. We did show some fight, though, and there were things we did well. We had two chances to tie it up at 4-4, and after that, we pushed forward a little more... We did what we know how to do. It's my fault; I must not have done what was needed in the first half... At least it looked like something, even if the loss hurts. Obviously, it would have been better to finish third."

France's comeback falls short

France nearly produced one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup history after trailing 4-0 at the break.

Kylian Mbappe scored twice, while Bradley Barcola added another to cut England's lead to 4-3. Mbappe's brace also took his World Cup tally to 22 goals, moving him past Lionel Messi as the tournament's all-time leading scorer.

However, Bukayo Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 87th minute before Ousmane Dembele struck for France. Jude Bellingham then sealed England's memorable 6-4 victory with a stoppage-time goal.

'It's been a truly wonderful journey'

Despite the disappointing finish, Deschamps said he remained proud of what his team had achieved during the tournament and over his long tenure.

"We came here with a lot of ambition. We managed to do quite a few positive things. We fell short in our match against Spain. It's not all a total loss. We have a quality squad, young players who will continue to move up the ranks. We had the talent to keep achieving very good results. On a personal level, it's been a truly wonderful journey with them. We spent eight weeks together since the start of our preparations. It was wonderful. The disappointment lies in the sporting aspect, but we had the opportunity to stir up emotions, and millions of French people were able to experience those emotions. It's the World Cup--there's nothing more beautiful than that."

The defeat marked the end of Deschamps' remarkable 14-year reign as France manager.

Appointed in 2012, he guided Les Bleus to the 2018 FIFA World Cup title, another final in 2022, and a semifinal appearance in 2026, cementing his place as one of the most successful coaches in French football history.