The third-place play-off is the silliest and most unnecessary game of the World Cup, and yet it is so often a goal fest.
That trend was taken to the furthest extreme at Miami Stadium on Saturday, where England beat France 6-4 to secure their best finish at the tournament since 1966.
Bukayo Saka hit a hat-trick for Thomas Tuchel’s side, who also had Ezri Konsa, Declan Rice and substitute Jude Bellingham on the scoresheet.
Standard Sport’s Dom Smith picks out three major talking points from a memorable night...
A positive note to end on
The manner of Wednesday’s semi-final defeat against Argentina stung England fans where it hurt most, and the strength of the criticism that has followed - both of the players and, chiefly, Tuchel - has left the head coach surprised.
Victory, by scoring six goals, seemed an effective method of pain relief.
England’s two previous experiences of the World Cup third-place play-off had not gone well. Defeat by hosts Italy in 1990 was followed, 28 years later, by another loss at Russia 2018, this time to Belgium.
Third time lucky, though. England came flying out of the traps, scoring through Rice’s solo effort after just two minutes and 14 seconds - the fastest goal by England in a competitive game since Luke Shaw’s second-minute opener in the 2020 European Championship final against Italy.
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That strike, both of Saka’s first-half goals, and the incredible individual effort converted by Bellingham were all a reminder to England fans that they will be among the favourites at Euro 2028, and that the national team isn’t half-bad - at attacking, at least.
Treble: Bukayo Saka takes the match ball after scoring a hat-trick for England against FranceGettyProblems protecting the lead resurface
England’s great retreat back to their own goal after Anthony Gordon’s opener against Argentina was a difficult sight for England fans who had seen it all before in previous tournaments.
Conceding in the 85th and 92nd minutes and promptly exiting the World Cup showed that England still find it psychologically difficult to manage a lead in big knockout games.
Granted, the circumstances were extremely different, but it turned into a good experiment for England’s ability to protect an advantage when they went 2-0 up here, becoming the first team to lead France by two goals within the first 20 minutes of a match since 2008.
England did not park their attacking instincts, instead finding goals three and four as Saka scored twice.
Yet the start of the second half showed an altogether different France, not only more intense in the press but also far more clinical in the final third. 4-1. 4-2. 4-3. England were in a game now.
It took Tuchel to summon the vitality of Elliot Anderson and Bellingham off the bench for England to turn a corner. They did so, scoring through Saka’s penalty, conceding a fine goal to Ousmane Dembele, but then making sure of their bronze medals as Bellingham scored one of this World Cup’s great solo goals.
Emotion: England assistant head coach Anthony Barry said he was “incredibly proud” of the squadGettyEmotion pours out
Anthony Barry, the England assistant head coach, has made a name for himself at this tournament by giving short - and very honest - assessments in TV interviews at half-time.
His offering to the BBC during the interval of this game was fascinating, and revealed the emotional toll major tournaments can take on those behind the scenes as well as the players themselves.
“I’m a little bit emotional,” Barry admitted. “I can't find the words to describe just how proud I am of these players.
“They're playing a game with broken hearts. I see 11 lads out on the field with broken hearts. I've seen them in the hotel the last few days with broken hearts.
“And they can build a performance like that just through pride of playing for England.
“The team spirit we built the last seven weeks has just been a privilege to watch.
“I know the cynics will say it's too late, but we are still playing against a world-class opponent. I'm proud of the team, and hopefully everyone back home is as well.”
Even after accounting for the lack of a competitive edge provided by the match grandiosely dubbed ‘the bronze final’, England put on a thrilling show to close out an impressive - if ultimately unsuccessful - World Cup campaign in real style.