MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) 鈥� France’s Kylian Mbapp茅 was in the starting lineup for his squad’s third-place World Cup match against England on Saturday as he continues his chase for a second Golden Boot.
Mbapp茅, who won the Golden Boot at the World Cup four years ago in Qatar, is in a tight race with Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the award, given to the tournament’s top scorer. Mbapp茅 and Messi have eight goals each.
Messi holds the first tiebreaker with a 4-3 lead in assists. He and defending champion Argentina will face Spain in Sunday’s final.
Meanwhile, England stars Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane were not in the starting lineup. They have six goals apiece.
Both teams in Saturday’s third-place match have said they’d rather be playing on Sunday. France lost to Spain in the semifinals and squandered its chance at reaching a third straight World Cup final. England blew a 1-0 lead against Argentina.
Still, Mbapp茅 and his teammates arrived at Hard Rock Stadium in hopes of delivering one last win for , who was set to coach his final game for France.
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