Bukayo Saka joined the World Cup hat-trick club during England’s recent third-place play-off against France.
The fixture was described as a most ludicrous of matches, proving to be an absurd and joyous spectacle. Many observers considered the third-place play-off to be the best match of a tournament, with records falling over the place.
Saka Addresses Tuchel Criticism After Match
Following the high-scoring game, Bukayo Saka spoke about the criticism directed at Thomas Tuchel. Saka remarked: “I think it’s just part of the game. You know when you lose there’s always gonna be noise. When you win. There’s gonna be noise … there is always noise.”
Andrew Harper, offering a voice of reason, noted that Thomas Tuchel has improved on Southgate. Harper stated Tuchel is England’s most successful coach since Alf Ramsey, using the performance at a World Cup as a not-unreasonable metric.
Record-Breaking Encounter for England and France
The France v England game was the highest scoring since 1982. Kylian Mbappe, for instance, became the highest World Cup scorer in history during the match.
England also saw individual records established. Jude Bellingham became the first Englishman to score seven World Cup goals. Additionally, Michael Olise equalled Pele’s assist record for a World Cup, achieving seven assists in more matches.
Jude Bellingham displayed impressive ball-carrying, going on and on, cutting in and out, beating Lacroix, righting himself and scoring his seventh goal. However, Bellingham later lost the ball after some useful carrying, leading to Dembele whipping the ball home from an Upamecano pass.
Match Incidents and Positive Conclusion
England found it challenging to hold onto the ball at times, with Jude Bellingham being a notable exception. Rayan Cherki, who was canned at half-time, had a haunted expression on the touchline.
Late in the game, in the 95th minute, Dembele and Olise resumed their rhythm, forcing England to sit deep. Djed Spence made a clearance before going down heavily, appearing to have pulled something, which left England down to 10 men.
The referee intervened in the 93rd minute, getting in the way when the ball was set back for a France shot. Trevoh Chalobah came on as a late replacement for a late replacement, meaning only Kobbie Mainoo among the outfield players did not get minutes.
The game that meant nothing concluded with Thomas Tuchel and Didier Deschamps hugging with huge smiles. The match was truly amazing, making it one of the highlights of the tournament.