England ended their World Cup campaign with bronze after beating France 6-4 in a remarkable third-place playoff that produced one of the wildest matches in tournament history.
France vs England
Bukayo Saka was the star of the show, scoring a hat-trick as the Three Lions responded to their painful semi-final defeat to Argentina with a fearless attacking performance against Les Bleus.
The Arsenal winger became only the second England player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup knockout match after Sir Geoff Hurst in the 1966 final. Pele, in 1958, was the only other player to score a World Cup treble against France.
England’s victory secured their highest finish at the men’s World Cup since winning the tournament in 1966. It was also their best performance on foreign soil and came in the highest-scoring third-place match the competition has ever seen.
Thomas Tuchel made seven changes from the side that lost to Argentina, leaving Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham on the bench while handing starts to Saka, Marcus Rashford and Eberechi Eze.
The response was immediate.
Declan Rice, captaining England, opened the scoring in the third minute after intercepting a loose pass from Desire Doue near halfway. The midfielder drove forward and fired a powerful strike past Mike Maignan from the edge of the box.
Rice then helped create England’s second, delivering a near-post corner that Ezri Konsa flicked in with his head to put the Three Lions firmly in control.
France looked open, unsettled and unusually passive. England took full advantage, with Saka scoring twice before the break.
His first came after a sharp counter-attack. Saka was initially denied by Maignan, but England kept the move alive and Rashford teed him up to finish from close range.
The winger added his second in first-half stoppage time, running onto a clever through-ball from Eze before finishing with a precise left-footed strike from a tight angle.
France trailed 4-0 at half-time, the first time they had been four goals down at the interval of any match since April 1930.
Didier Deschamps, taking charge of France for the final time, clearly demanded a reaction at the break. Les Bleus returned with far more urgency and quickly turned the match into a contest.
Kylian Mbappe pulled one back three minutes after the restart with a first-time finish. Bradley Barcola then made it 4-2 six minutes later, beating Dean Henderson at the near post.
France had momentum, and England suddenly looked vulnerable.
Mbappe struck again after a slick team move, scoring his 10th goal of the tournament. The goal moved him ahead of Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race and made him the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer with 22 goals.
France pushed hard for an equaliser and created enough chances to complete the comeback. Henderson, however, produced important saves to deny Rayan Cherki, Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, while Michael Olise missed clear opportunities.
England needed calm, and Saka provided it.
In the 87th minute, Djed Spence was fouled by Malo Gusto inside the area. Saka stepped up and converted from the penalty spot to complete his hat-trick and restore England’s two-goal cushion.
Even then, the drama was not finished.
Dembele curled home in the sixth minute of stoppage time to make it 5-4 and give France brief hope of another twist.
But Bellingham, introduced from the bench, ended the contest with the final kick. Collecting the ball near halfway, he drove through the France defence, beat Maxence Lacroix and finished calmly to seal England’s 6-4 win.
The goal completed a superb personal tournament for Bellingham, who finished with seven goals, the most by any England men’s player at a single World Cup.
For England, the victory will bring mixed emotions. Bronze is a major achievement, but the attacking freedom shown against France will raise questions about the approach in the semi-final defeat to Argentina.
Tuchel was heavily criticised for defensive substitutions in that match after England had taken the lead. Against France, his side played with energy, width and ambition, especially in a thrilling first half.
Saka’s performance will also invite debate. After fitness concerns earlier in the tournament, he delivered one of the great England knockout displays and showed why many supporters felt he should have featured more heavily against Argentina.
For France, the defeat marked a dramatic and painful end to Deschamps’ long reign.
The 2018 World Cup-winning coach leaves after 187 matches in charge, including a record-extending 27 games at World Cup finals. His final match was unforgettable, but not for the reasons he would have wanted.
France had never conceded six goals in a World Cup match before. It was also the first time in 66 years that they had conceded six in any match.
Mbappe still ended the tournament with individual history, but France’s poor first half left them with too much to repair.
This was a third-place playoff in name, but it carried the drama of a final. Ten goals, 38 shots, a Saka hat-trick, Mbappe history and a Bellingham finale made it one of the most extraordinary matches of the World Cup.
England leave with bronze, belief and questions about what might have been.
