Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick as England outlasted France 6-4 in a remarkable World Cup third-place match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, producing the highest-scoring bronze-medal game in tournament history.
The Arsenal winger struck twice before half-time — in the 37th minute and first-half stoppage time — and completed his treble with an 87th-minute penalty as England raced to a 4-0 lead before withstanding a furious second-half French fightback. It was Saka's second career hat-trick for England and caps a tournament in which he emerged as one of the Three Lions' most reliable attacking threats.
Declan Rice opened the scoring with a composed finish from inside the area before Ezri Konsa headed home from a corner to put England in control. Saka's first two goals — the second a sharp volley — sent England into the break with a commanding four-goal cushion.
France, playing their final match under departing manager Didier Deschamps, roared back after the interval. Kylian Mbappé pulled one back in the 48th minute before Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé struck to cut the deficit to 4-3. Mbappé then beat Dean Henderson again in the 66th minute to draw level with — and surpass — Lionel Messi's all-time World Cup career scoring record of 21 goals, moving to 22. His 10 goals in this tournament puts him two clear of Messi in the Golden Boot race.
But England refused to crumble. Saka restored the lead from the penalty spot in the 87th minute after a handball in the box, and Jude Bellingham added a sixth goal in the eighth minute of stoppage time to seal the result. Bellingham's strike took him to seven goals for the tournament — the most by any England player in a single World Cup, surpassing Harry Kane (six in 2018 and 2026) and Gary Lineker (six in 1986).
The 10 goals were the most ever scored in a third-place match and the highest total in any World Cup game since Hungary's 10-1 win over El Salvador in 1982.
England manager Thomas Tuchel admitted the result provided only partial consolation after the heartbreak of their semi-final defeat to Argentina. "We are fiercely competitive, so we almost don't allow ourselves to be proud of third place because 18 months ago we set the highest goal," Tuchel said.
For France, Deschamps' 14-year tenure ended with a defeat that his players felt deeply. "The first half gives the impression that we let him down — that's not at all how we wanted him to feel," Mbappé said. "This match isn't going to tarnish Didier Deschamps' legacy."
Mbappé becomes the first player to lead the World Cup in scoring in consecutive tournaments, having also won the Golden Boot in Qatar 2022 with eight goals. He now sits alone atop the all-time World Cup scoring list with 22 goals.
Sources
- https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-england-france-third-place-score-52f94eda6ff6d268d38aaefbc446c525
- https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-france-mbappe-golden-boot-messi-9dd47a1df1469c84cc80a06184fe2732
