<P> The third place match is generally a high - scoring affair, as no men's match has seen fewer than two goals scored since Poland's 1 - 0 win over Brazil in 1974, while all bronze - medal games since 1994 (except for 1998, 2014 and 2018) have seen four goals or more . For tournament top scorers, the third place match's tendency of attacking football is a great opportunity to win the Golden Shoe, with players such as Salvatore Schillaci (1990), Davor Šuker (1998), and Thomas Müller (2010) getting the goal they needed to take sole possession of the lead . The FIFA Women's World Cup has had only seven editions to date, therefore creating less opportunity for a pattern to form . However, two of the third - place games in that competition have seen fewer than three goals . In 1995, the USA defeated China 2--0 . In 1999, the third - place match between Brazil and Norway ended in a scoreless draw and penalty shootout (won by Brazil), as did the final between the USA and China (won by the USA). In 2015, the third place match between Germany and England was the first to go to extra time, and in the second period of extra time, England scored a single penalty kick goal and held on to the lead to upset Germany . </P> <P> How seriously the competing teams take this match is subject to debate . Certain teams, especially ones which had been expected to reach the final, will rest some of their starters to allow some of their reserve team players to participate in a World Cup game . For instance French team captain Michel Platini did not play in either the 1982 or 1986 third place matches, while German goalkeeper Hans - Jörg Butt received his only competitive international appearance in a third place playoff, and Michel Vorm came on during injury time of the 3--0 third place play - off win against Brazil in Brasília thus ensuring that all 23 Dutch squad members played at the tournament . By contrast, teams that are not expected to get this far usually take this match seriously, as third place can be a historical achievement . In the 1994 World Cup, the Sweden national team branded the game as "the bronze match" and after victory they landed at Arlanda with a fighter escort and were then paraded through the streets of Stockholm to millions live on national TV . Another example of a high - profile third place match was in 1998, when the recently established Croatian football team upset the Netherlands . </P> <P> If the host nation is involved in the third place match, the team generally uses the match to thank the support of their fans (such as the South Korean football team in 2002, and the German football team in 2006 . German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, who had been a reserve to Jens Lehmann during the 2006 tournament, was allowed to retire in the third place playoff by then manager Jürgen Klinsmann . Germany and Portugal fielded strong lineups in that match, after both were narrowly eliminated in their respective semi-finals (Germany and Italy nearly went to a penalty shootout, while Portugal was defeated by the lower - ranked France). For Brazil, the dismal 3--0 loss to the Netherlands in the 2014 third place match, along with the 7 - 1 semi-final defeat to Germany, led to coach Luiz Felipe Scolari being dismissed . For the Dutch, this was their first bronze medal in the FIFA World Cup . </P> <P> Germany currently holds the most third - place finishes in the (men's) World Cup, with four, their most recent in 2010 . The U.S. has the most third - place finishes in the Women's World Cup, with three; they have never finished outside the top three . </P>

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