Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick as England beat France 6-4 in a pulsating third-place playoff, recording their best men's World Cup finish since 1966. The match at Miami Stadium began with Thomas Tuchel's name being booed by supporters, but by full-time the German coach was celebrating a bronze medal after an extraordinary 10-goal thriller.
Declan Rice opened the scoring with a screamer after three minutes, lifting the mood for England. Ezri Konsa added a second from a Rice corner before Saka plundered a brace to give England a 4-0 half-time lead. France, on their sunloungers in that first half, were rocked.
“Saka hat-trick powers England to 6-4 win over France in World Cup third-place playoff.”
But Kylian Mbappé, playing in Didier Deschamps' last match in charge of Les Bleus, began the comeback straight after half-time. Bradley Barcola pulled another back off the bench before Mbappé added his second, making it 4-3. The Real Madrid star became the first male player to reach double figures at a World Cup since Gerd Müller in 1970. Before kick-off, Mbappé had published a message on social media thanking Deschamps, writing: "Today is your last dance."
England needed a response, and Saka stepped up to complete his hat-trick with a late penalty to make it 5-3. France replied again to make it 5-4, but Jude Bellingham, who had come off the bench, sealed the win with his seventh goal of the tournament. The 6-4 scoreline reflected a game that swung wildly after a one-sided first half.
Tuchel, who signed a contract extension before the tournament, now faces two years to rebuild his reputation among England's supporters after a tetchy pre-match press conference where he doubled down on his semi-final decisions against Argentina. The reception for Harry Kane and the rest as they received bronze medals suggested the players' effort had been appreciated. For France, Deschamps departs after 14 years, having guided them to a second world title in 2018.
England's third-place finish eases some of the pain from their semi-final loss to Argentina, but Tuchel's next challenge – Euro 2028 on home soil – looms large.