England 6-4 France: Bukayo Saka nets hat-trick in thriller as Three Lions finish third
England secured third place in the World Cup after a high-scoring 6-4 victory against France, featuring a hat-trick from Bukayo Saka. The match set records for the highest-scoring third-place play-off in tournament history.
Why it matters
This result marks England's best men's World Cup performance since 1966, highlighting a significant achievement for the national team.
Figure caption, England beat France in 10-goal thriller to finish third
Third-placed finish is England men's best World Cup result since 1966 triumph
Three Lions lead 4-0 at half-time through Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and Bukayo Saka double
France dominate after break and hit back through Kylian Mbappe (two) and Bradley Barcola
Mbappe becomes World Cup's all-time leading scorer with 22 goals - one ahead of Argentina's Lionel Messi
Saka completes hat-trick late on before Ousmane Dembele replies again for France in injury time
Jude Bellingham makes it 6-4 in 98th minute with his seventh goal of the tournament - the most by an Englishman at a single World Cup
The match nobody wanted to play in became the match nobody wanted to end.
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