Bukayo Saka’s hat-trick helped England to a remarkable 6-4 bronze medal win over France in Miami. This victory achieved their best World Cup finish since 1966. England secured third place at the 2026 World Cup. The match was described as a 10-goal thriller.
England’s goals came from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and Jude Bellingham, alongside Saka’s three. France scored four goals, including a Kylian Mbappe double, a strike from substitute Bradley Barcola, and a goal from substitute Ousmane Dembele. England were incredibly 4-0 up at half-time.
First-Half Dominance and French Awakening
England’s strong first half saw Declan Rice open the scoring, followed by Ezri Konsa’s header and Saka’s double. Thomas Tuchel’s side took advantage of an uninterested France to build their lead. However, England nearly blew their four-goal lead in the second half. The two-time World Cup winners woke up after half-time to threaten a sensational comeback.
Kylian Mbappe scored a double for France, which saw him become the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer with 22 goals. Substitute Bradley Barcola also found the net for France. Michael Olise missed two glorious chances to equalise during the French resurgence.
Late Drama Secures Bronze Medal
The closing stages of the game were marked by significant drama. Djed Spence won a late penalty from Malo Gusto’s challenge. Saka scored from the spot in the 87th minute to complete his hat-trick. Yet there was still more drama to come.
Substitute Ousmane Dembele scored a 96th-minute goal, giving France hope of avoiding defeat in Didier Deschamps’ last game in charge. But two minutes later, substitute Jude Bellingham struck with the 10th goal of the game. Bellingham’s goal set the record for the most goals by an England player at a major tournament with seven, and it secured the Three Lions’ third-place finish.
Reflections and Future Prospects
England’s goal-laden display and Bukayo Saka’s performance will add further frustration and regret over Wednesday’s semi-final loss to Argentina. Saka was an unused substitute in that semi-final and revealed after the win over France that he “would have loved to have played more”.
Thomas Tuchel’s name was booed by England fans before kick-off, but smiles and cheers at full-time will give the German hope. He can lead them to glory at their home Euros in 2028. France are set to be led by Zinedine Zidane at the Euros in 2028.
Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports News in Miami described the match as one of the most ridiculous, exciting, open and thrilling games he could ever remember for an England team. He noted a huge sense of unreality about it, with 10 goals in a game that looked dead at half-time when England had a 4-0 lead. Dorsett observed that when France started coming back in the second half, there was panic in the England ranks and a sinking feeling, just three days after the lowest of the lows. He credited England’s resilience and sheer guts, stating they ground this one out.
Dorsett also commented that Mbappe and Olise were running riot, but even those two were eclipsed by Saka. The Arsenal man becomes only the fourth Englishman ever to score a World Cup hat-trick. This performance provided England with their best World Cup finish since 1966.