Saka hat-trick seals bronze as England outgun France 6–4

England take bronze in a 10-goal classic

England beat France 6–4 in the World Cup third-place playoff on Saturday (1) (3). Six goals in the first half alone. The match swung wildly, and your team held on through a turbulent second half. Thomas Tuchel called it: "We had a brilliant first half and then a turbulent second half" (13). This is England's best World Cup finish since 1966 (1).

Saka hat-trick, then a shrug

Bukayo Saka scored three (2) (7). He had played limited minutes earlier in the tournament, and his response was emphatic. Afterwards he kept it short: "It's done now, move on" (7). No drama, just goals.

Bellingham makes history

Jude Bellingham scored his seventh goal of the tournament, a solo effort that broke England's all-time World Cup goals record for a single tournament (10). No Englishman has ever scored more at a World Cup.

Rice: this group is the real deal

Declan Rice, standing in as captain, did not hold back. "This is the best England group for a very long time," he said. Then he added: "That's a fact" (11).

Mbappé breaks the all-time record, but he would trade it

Kylian Mbappé became the all-time top scorer in World Cup history during this match (4). He did not celebrate it. He said he would have preferred not to have the record and instead be playing in the final (4). France fell well short of their own expectations.

Fan reactions

The mood online is giddy and a little disbelieving. A 10-goal bronze medal match has fans calling it the most entertaining third-place game they have ever seen, and Bellingham's solo goal is being shared everywhere as the defining image. Some are also noting the contrast in the French camp, with Adrien Rabiot reportedly calling France's first-half performance "shameful" and Michael Olise seen in tears in the locker room afterwards. Watch Bellingham's goal here