The match nobody wanted to play in became the match nobody wanted to end.
England’s ‘bronze final’ – formerly known as the third-place play-off – against France descended into chaos with 10 goals, six of them for the Three Lions. And there could easily have been more.
Bukayo Saka became just the second England player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup knockout match, after Sir Geoff Hurst in the 1966 final. The only other player to score a treble versus France in the competition was Pele in 1958.
And it means England achieved their highest men’s World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966 – and their best-ever result on foreign soil.
They did so in the highest-scoring World Cup third-place match ever, surpassing France 6-3 West Germany in 1958, and by beating a side higher in Fifa’s rankings at a World Cup for the first time since the win over Argentina in 2002.
After losing Wednesday’s semi-final to Argentina in galling fashion, England showed no hangover from that disappointment by racing into a four-goal first-half lead in a chaotic game which up-ended any gloomy pre-match talk.
Saka scored twice after Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa had put England in control inside the opening 20 minutes.
France trailed by four goals at half-time of any match for the first time since April 1930, and the players were clearly given a rocket at the break by manager Didier Deschamps – for who this was his final game in charge of his country.
And so momentum completely switched after the break, with France pulling three goals back and missing clear-cut chances to equalise.
Kylian Mbappe netted either side of a Bradley Barcola goal, to put himself ahead in the race for the 2026 Golden Boot and leap above Lionel Messi to become the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer with 22 goals.
But Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 87th minute after Djed Spence was fouled by Malo Gusto.
Ousmane Dembele curled home in the sixth minute of stoppage time to cut the deficit to 5-4, however Jude Bellingham jinked through France’s defence to seal England’s win in the 98th minute.
France had never before conceded six goals in a World Cup match. It is the first time they have conceded six times in any match in, appropriately, 66 years.
Bellingham meanwhile finishes his superb individual tournament with seven goals at this World Cup – the most of any England men’s player at a single edition.
“It was brilliant,” said former England defender Stephen Warnock on Match of the Day. “Some of the best free flowing football we have seen all tournament.”
“So much talent on show,” added Danny Murphy. “Some of the football I have seen today is the best I have seen. It had everything.”
