M. Dembele
Regionalliga - Salzburg · Attacker · #17 · Austria · 25 yrs
M. Dembele news
10-Goal Absolute Chaos: England Outlasts France as Mbappé Breaks All-Time World Cup Record
Adrian Sousa from Rabona TV breaks down the maddest match of the 2026 World Cup—a 6-4 third-place thriller where England took bronze and Kylian Mbappé made history. If the 2026 World Cup third-place playoff is traditionally viewed as a quiet consolation match, someone forgot to hand that script to England and France. In the highest-scoring tournament showcase since 1982, the two defeated European heavyweights went completely off the rails in Miami. Adrian Sousa from Rabona TV breaks down a 10-goal tactical rollercoaster that left fans completely breathless. Listen to the full matchday breakdown on Spotify to hear the complete post-match analysis. Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions looked ready to run France right out of the stadium in the first 45 minutes, storming to a commanding 4-0 lead. Declan Rice opened the floodgates with a curling strike after just 134 seconds, Ezri Konsa powered home a header from a corner, and Bukayo Saka bagged a clinical first-half brace. Yet, echoing their collapse against Argentina, the English structural discipline vanished entirely after the intermission as a rampant French squad mounted a fierce second-half fightback. The comeback charge paved the way for a legendary moment of sporting history when Kylian Mbappé fired home his second goal of the evening in the 66th minute. The clinical finish marked his 22nd career World Cup goal, officially surpassing Lionel Messi to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. With France suddenly pulling within a single goal and pushing inches away from an equalizer, the encounter dissolved into pure single-elimination chaos. England finally managed to stem the bleeding late when Bukayo Saka converted a high-pressure 87th-minute penalty to complete a spectacular hat-trick. Despite Ousmane Dembélé pulling another back for France in deep stoppage time, Jude Bellingham had the absolute final say by striking at the 90+8′ mark to wrap up a historic 6-4 victory. The result secures the bronze medal for England, marking their best tournament finish since 1966, while Bellingham becomes the first Englishman to score seven goals in a single World Cup. Conversely, the defensive shootout brings a historic era to a sudden close for the 2022 runners-up. The match officially marks Didier Deschamps’ final appearance on the bench, concluding a legendary 14-year tenure at the helm of national team football. The daily wrap-up tracks how the French transitional blueprint will look moving forward, alongside early tactical keys for the grand finale. You can stream the entire tactical post-mortem right now. Check out the Rabona TV World Cup Recap on Spotify to stay completely updated on the latest player statistics, match ratings, and final tournament analysis.
Neither Messi nor Mbappe: The 1958 World Cup goal record that remains unbroken
Amidst the glory and shattered expectations, one mythical scoring milestone remains stubbornly out of reach. The curtain has fallen on the 2026 World Cup, leaving behind a newly crowned champion, immortal performances, and a thrilling new chapter in the eternal clash between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. Yet, amidst the glory and shattered expectations, one mythical scoring milestone remains stubbornly out of reach. Standing like an ancient fortress, this decades-old record continues to defy the absolute greatest attacking titans the beautiful game has ever produced. The final between Spain and Argentina closed the curtain on one of the highest-quality World Cups in recent memory. While the spotlight naturally shifted toward the champion, the Golden Boot race, and Messi’s likely farewell on the World Cup stage, another historic achievement quietly survived yet another challenge. The answer lies with Just Fontaine, the legendary France striker whose astonishing haul of 13 goals in a single World Cup continues to stand alone nearly seven decades later. Even after an expanded 48-team tournament and more matches than ever before, nobody managed to erase the mark he established in Sweden in 1958. Fontaine’s achievement remains one of soccer’s most remarkable individual feats. He scored against Paraguay (three), Yugoslavia (two), Scotland (one), Northern Ireland (two), Brazil (one), and West Germany (four), averaging more than two goals per game across only six appearances. Ex-French international footballer Just Fontaine (C) receives the Adidas Platinum Boot award Messi and Mbappe came close, but history stood firm The 2026 tournament appeared to offer the perfect opportunity for Fontaine’s record to finally fall. Messi, Mbappe, Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, and Jude Bellingham all produced prolific campaigns, raising hopes that someone would finally rewrite soccer history. Instead, the record remained untouched after the final whistle. Mbappe finished as the tournament’s Golden Boot winner with 10 goals and four assists, while Messi concluded the World Cup with eight goals, leaving Fontaine’s incredible total safely intact. RankPlayerNational TeamGoalsAssists1.Kylian MbappeFrance1042.Lionel MessiArgentina843.Jude BellinghamEngland714.Erling HaalandNorway705.Ousmane DembeleFrance626.Harry KaneEngland61 One reason Fontaine’s accomplishment continues to amaze historians is the incredible story behind it. The French striker wasn’t even expected to start the tournament and famously ended up wearing borrowed boots after damaging his own pair during training. “I was devastated,” Fontaine once recalled in an interview with FIFA after tearing one of his boots before France’s opening match. “I thought my chance could be gone.” Fortunately for France, teammate Stephane Bruey wore the same shoe size and generously loaned Fontaine his boots. The rest quickly became soccer folklore as the striker exploded for 13 goals in just six matches, averaging a goal every 42 minutes. Record built in only one World Cup Perhaps the most astonishing detail is that Fontaine only played in one World Cup during his entire career. Unlike players such as Miroslav Klose, Ronaldo Nazario, Messi, or Mbappe, he never had multiple tournaments to build his numbers. Klose eventually became the men’s World Cup’s all-time leading scorer with 16 career goals, but those strikes came across four separate tournaments. Fontaine reached 13 goals during a single edition, making the feat even more remarkable. France striker Just Fontaine His scoring spree helped France finish third at the 1958 World Cup after victories over Paraguay, Yugoslavia, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and West Germany. The only team capable of stopping France was Pele’s Brazil in the semifinals. Why modern soccer makes the challenge even harder Many believed expanding the tournament from 32 to 48 teams would finally create the perfect conditions for someone to surpass Fontaine. In reality, the opposite may h
All 10 goals as England triumph over France in World Cup consolation prize showdown (Video)
Declan Rice 3′ Ezri Konsa 18′ Bukayo Saka 37′ Bukayo Saka 45+1′ Halftime. Kylian Mbappe 48′ Bradley Barcola 54′ Kylian Mbappe 66′ Bukayo Saka (Pen.) 87′ Ousmane Dembele 90+6′ Jude Bellingham 90+8′ The end. A first-half rout, a spectacular comeback, two stoppage-time goals. What a game. England eventually held off France to win the bronze […] The post All 10 goals as England triumph over France in World Cup consolation prize showdown (Video) appeared first on SoccerNews.
Why isn’t Ousmane Dembélé starting for France against England at the 2026 World Cup?
The final match of the 2026 World Cup for France against England does not include Ousmane Dembélé. With the dream of lifting the 2026 World Cup trophy no longer within reach, France are playing England in the third-place match, but Ousmane Dembélé is not in the starting lineup. The reason Dembélé isn’t starting against England is because Didier Deschamps has made a technical decision to put Desiré Doué and Rayan Cherki in the starting lineup. This means the ideal trio is not complete in the lineup for the first time in the competition. Leaving the Ballon d’Or winner out may be a decision to give him some rest after an exhausting season with his club. The attack Left winger was the position that has changed the most during the competition. Deschamps has rotated Doué and Barcolá depending on the opponent, which also helped keep them rested as they had to make a huge effort, with the other three attackers doing a bit less defensive work. Doué plays his eighth match (Lars Baron/Getty Images) The bench has become very important with the introduction of more substitutions, a change that has allowed the best teams to avoid exhausting their most-used players, and this has been reflected in how Deschamps has managed the position. For this match, what was a surprise for most was the inclusion of Cherki. The talented player was not a major factor for the team throughout the competition, even though he played in six matches with a total of just 85 minutes. Dembélé’s performance Dembélé’s performances went from the best to not as good as the tournament progressed. The winger had a fantastic start, scoring his first goals in a World Cup during his third appearance in the competition with five goals. His goals came against Iraq, a hat trick against Norway and one goal against Morocco.
France legend Thierry Henry explains why Spain deserved the win: ‘We couldn’t take the ball off them’
Despite France arriving as the clear favorites, they were convincingly defeated by Spain. After failing to reach the 2026 World Cup final, French legend Thierry Henry analyzed their defeat, making it clear the tactical reason why their opponents came away with the victory. France came into the 2026 World Cup semifinal as the clear favorites to reach the final. However, Spain managed to surprise them, limiting their attacking threat and cruising to a comfortable victory. As a result, the criticism has not taken long to arrive, as they looked very flat collectively and their powerful attack was nowhere to be seen. In response, French legend Thierry Henry analyzed the main reason behind their semifinal defeat. “When Spain national team takes the ball, they do give you the ball back. You have to go and get it. You need to press a bit better. We couldn’t take the ball off them. The second shot on target was Dembele only… I want to give credit to the whole system and what they put in place because Spain never used to win like that and now they win at every level… So well done Spain, sorry for my country,” says Thierry Henry, via Fox Sports. Although statistically the possession was fairly even, the reality is that Spain were the team that dictated the tempo of the game. They controlled possession throughout the match, creating space and limiting France’s attack. After scoring the two goals, they dropped their pressing line, allowing Didier Deschamps’ team to have the ball but without effectiveness. Thierry Henry highlighted the quality of Spain’s tactical system, as they clearly know how to dominate possession, but also how to sit back and stop their opponents’ progression. Led by Pau Cubarsí and Aymeric Laporte, they were rock-solid in defense, with Pedro Porro and Marc Cucurella also excelling in that aspect. In addition, Rodri and Fabián Ruiz kept Mbappé’s team under control, limiting the spaces they needed to shine. Thierry Henry speaks about how Spain has been successful at every level pic.twitter.com/2WXaxGZKpU— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 14, 2026 France shone individually, but failed as a team at the 2026 World Cup Throughout the 2026 World Cup, France established as one of the tournament’s highest-scoring teams. Led by Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, they shone in the goalscoring department. However, they never became a solid team collectively, relying heavily on individual actions. This was precisely what prevented them from reaching the tournament final for the third consecutive time. Didier Deschamps trusted Adrien Rabiot and Aurélien Tchouaméni completely in midfield. While they were solid defensively, they contributed very little in the creative aspect. Unable to impose a collective style of play, France depended on their wingers to drive the team forward. In addition, Ousmane Dembélé did not have his best collective performance, looking short of ideas, and the head coach decided not to make changes to improve that area. Looking ahead to UEFA Euro 2028, France have one task: To go from being a team full of stars to becoming a team that shines collectively. They would need to strengthen their midfield with players who are more creative, better organizers, and more effective in possession. By learning from Spain’s collective style of play, they could begin a new sporting project, as Didier Deschamps appears to be close to leaving the national team.
Messi, Mbappe and the stars leading the 2026 World Cup semifinalists: Who dominates each team?
While Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé are the two frontrunners for the 2026 World Cup's best player award, the statistical impact across the four remaining semifinalists is far more evenly distributed than those two names might suggest. The 2026 World Cup has lived up to its billing as a tournament of stars, with the four remaining teams ranked inside the FIFA top four and all former world champions. While Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have set the pace at the top, the statistical picture across the semifinalists is more nuanced than it might appear. Messi and Mbappe are the undisputed headliners, both leading the Golden Boot race with eight goals apiece and sitting first and second on the all-time World Cup scoring chart with 21 and 20 goals respectively. But Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have surged into contention with six goals each and two matches remaining, making the race for the tournament’s top scorer genuinely wide open heading into the final two rounds. Beyond the strikers, players who arrived in form have carried that momentum into the competition, with Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise standing out as examples. The statistical breakdown across the four semifinalists tells an interesting story, with some categories spread across multiple contributors and others entirely dominated by a single name. Spain Lamine Yamal remains Spain’s marquee name, but the Barcelona star has not yet hit his ceiling at this tournament, still working his way back from the hamstring injury that disrupted his buildup. Despite that, Spain have been the most defensively disciplined side in the competition, conceding just once across six matches, with their output spread across a deep and balanced squad. Mikel Oyarzabal #21 of Spain celebrates with Alex Baena #15 after scoring a goal. Most Goals: Mikel Oyarzabal (4).Most Assists: Marc Cucurella (2).Most Key Passes (p90): Pedro Porro (2.3)Most Successful Dribbles (p90): Lamine Yamal (3.5).Most Big Chances Created: Marc Cucurella (3). France Mbappe is once again the driving force for Les Bleus, replicating his 2022 World Cup form with eight goals. But France have shown genuine balance this time around, with a solid defensive foundation complemented by clinical contributions from Dembele and Olise alongside their captain. Most Goals: Kylian Mbappe (8).Most Assists: Michael Olise (5).Most Key Passes (p90): Kylian Mbappe (2.7).Most Successful Dribbles (p90): Michael Olise (2.5).Most Big Chances Created: Michael Olise (5). England Under Thomas Tuchel, England have been built around two players to a degree rarely seen at a major tournament. Kane and Bellingham account for 12 of England’s 13 goals in the competition, and while that level of dependency carries risk, a supporting cast featuring key contributors has allowed both stars to thrive. Most Goals: Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham (6)Most Assists: Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka (3).Most Key Passes (p90): Declan Rice (2.6).Most Successful Dribbles (p90): Jude Bellingham (2).Most Big Chances Created: Jude Bellingham, Noni Madueke, and Declan Rice (3). Argentina The defending champions have been far from convincing as a collective, relying more on spirit and resilience than on controlled, dominant performances. But with a 39-year-old Lionel Messi producing some of the most complete individual displays of any player in the tournament, Argentina have navigated every obstacle and remain unbeaten in World Cup semifinals. Most Goals: Lionel Messi (8).Most Assists: Lionel Messi (2).Most Key Passes (p90): Lionel Messi (3.7).Most Successful Dribbles (p90): Lionel Messi (2.5).Most Big Chances Created: Lionel Messi (6).
World Cup 2026 power rankings: who leads the pack as semi-finals loom?
We assess the teams who played in the last eight as the business end of the tournament approachesDidier Deschamps has seen it all before and certainly does not fear even the lowest of blocks. It is clear everyone is afraid of Les Bleus, which is understandable, and they are using it to their advantage. It is admirable how teams keep France quiet for lengthy periods but the game is too long to completely silence Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé. Against Morocco an hour of patience was required but these forwards are used to it and Mbappé produced the magic that has powered this run, following it up with an assist. In a tournament defined by individuals, France have the best of a talented bunch. Continue reading...
World Cup Recap: France Sweeps Past Morocco to Semis; Spain vs. Belgium Previewed
Dan Riccio and Blake Price recap France's 2-0 quarterfinal win over Morocco and preview a massive Spain vs. Belgium clash on The 90th Minute. The tournament field is thinning out as the business end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup arrives. On the latest matchday edition of The 90th Minute, co-hosts Dan Riccio and Blake Price unpack a monumental result out of Boston and preview the remaining paths to global glory. Listen to the full tactical review on Spotify to catch up on the entire tournament breakdown. The show leads with an analytical review of France’s convincing 2-0 quarterfinal masterclass over Morocco. Didier Deschamps’ clinical side proved exactly why they are heavily favored to claim the trophy, shutting out a resilient Moroccan outfit. Despite an early first-half penalty miss by Kylian Mbappé, the French captain made history in the second half by hammering home his eighth goal of the tournament, taking his total 2026 tournament contributions to an astonishing 11. Ousmane Dembélé quickly added a second-half insurance goal to book Les Bleus’ ticket to a third consecutive World Cup Semifinal. The hosts dissect the game’s tactical shapes, a contentious handball incident involving Mbappé, and debate whether this current roster represents the greatest national team ever assembled. The focus then shifts entirely to the impending blockbuster tie between Spain and Belgium in Los Angeles. The duo previews the crucial tactical elements, questioning if Spain’s possession-heavy framework and depth can suffocated a red-hot Belgian team. The discussion dives deep into whether this is finally the summer where the remnants of Belgium’s Golden Generation, led by Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, push all the way to a historic final. The program winds down with score predictions for the remaining high-stakes final-eight fixtures. The hosts look at Erling Haaland’s lethal form with Norway ahead of their clash with England, evaluate Rudi Garcia’s tactical impact, and map out the margins separating Lionel Messi’s Argentina from a stubborn Switzerland side.You can stream the entire daily overview right now. Check out The 90th Minute on Spotify to stay entirely up to date on final scores, updated bracket configurations, and expert knockout coverage.
Kylian Mbappe scores superb goal in France World Cup quarter-final triumph over Morocco (Video)
France booked a place in the World Cup semi-finals by beating Morocco 2-0, with Kylian Mbappe scoring this wonderful opener and assisting Ousmane Dembele for the second. pic.twitter.com/W8Dm7fRoi1 — WC Vault (@WCVault) July 9, 2026 The post Kylian Mbappe scores superb goal in France World Cup quarter-final triumph over Morocco (Video) appeared first on SoccerNews.
World Cup 2026 : Les Bleus masterclass sends France to semi-finals
Morocco posed little attacking threat in the first half, spending much of it in a low block as they sought to withstand France's relentless pressure. Kylian Mbappé won a penalty in the 28th minute after being fouled by Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui. Following a lengthy and controversial VAR check lasting more than three minutes, his spot-kick was comfortably saved by Yassine Bounou. The first half ended goalless, but the pattern of the match had already been established: Morocco failed to register a single shot on target. Mbappé made amends in the 60th minute with a superb curling effort that beat the defender and found the back of the net, his eighth goal of the tournament. Ousmane Dembélé doubled France's lead six minutes later, and the score remained 2–0 until the final whistle. France are through to the World Cup semi-finals for the third tournament in a row.
