Bukayo Saka scored a hat trick to power England to a 6-4 win over France in the World Cup third-place match on Saturday, one of the wildest games the tournament has seen in decades.
The match at Miami Gardens produced 10 goals, the most ever in a third-place playoff. It was also the highest-scoring World Cup game since Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in 1982.
Saka opened the scoring in the 37th minute and struck again in first-half stoppage time. He completed his hat trick from the penalty spot in the 87th, his second career hat trick for England.
England raced to a 4-0 lead by the break. Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa scored the other first-half goals to leave France chasing the game.
The win gave England their best World Cup finish since they lifted the trophy in 1966, their only title.
Jude Bellingham closed out the scoring in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time. It was his seventh goal of the tournament.
France pushed back in the second half, but it was never enough to threaten England's cushion. Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé got on the scoresheet for Les Bleus.
The story for France centered on Kylian Mbappé. The striker scored twice in the second half and reached 22 career World Cup goals, moving one ahead of Lionel Messi for the all-time record.
Photo: nypost.com
Mbappé finished this World Cup with 10 goals. That put him two clear of Messi in the Golden Boot race, the award for the tournament's top scorer.
His late double added personal history to a match his side lost, and it confirmed his place at the top of the individual scoring charts.
For England, the third-place finish caps a tournament in which their attacking players delivered. Saka and Bellingham both leave with big personal returns from the run.
The result also settles the final standings behind the two teams that reached the final. Third and fourth place carry little silverware, but the goal count made this one memorable.
Ten goals in a single World Cup match is a rare sight. The last time a game came close was more than four decades ago, and no third-place match had ever produced this many.
England's players will now turn their attention to what comes after the tournament, with domestic and continental fixtures ahead for most of the squad.
For France, the focus shifts to Mbappé's record and what it means for a career that already sits among the game's best on the world stage.
Source: NYPOST
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