Miami: Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick as England held off a remarkable France fightback to secure a 6-4 victory in a thrilling FIFA World Cup third-place playoff on Saturday.The win earned England their first-ever third-place finish at a World Cup, having lost previous third-place matches in 1990 and 2018, and marked the team's best tournament result since winning the World Cup in 1966.England raced into a 4-0 lead by halftime through goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and two from Saka.France mounted an impressive second-half comeback, with Bradley Barcola and Kylian Mbappe scoring to cut the deficit to 4-3.Mbappe's two goals took his tournament tally to 10 and raised his all-time World Cup scoring total to 22.With France pressing for an equaliser, Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot three minutes from time to restore England's two-goal advantage.Ousmane Dembele then scored for France to make it 5-4, but substitute Jude Bellingham sealed the victory deep into stoppage time with his seventh goal of the tournament.England manager Thomas Tuchel praised his side's performance.France's Kylian Mbappe scores their second goal. REUTERS"We had a brilliant first half and then a turbulent second half," he said. "We are so, so tired and drained from the last weeks. I have said it before, this team has created something very special, and they showed it again."The match produced a record 10 goals for a World Cup third-place playoff, surpassing France's 6-3 win over West Germany in 1958.France coach Didier Deschamps, who was overseeing his final match in charge, saw his team recover strongly after a disappointing first half."In the second half, we became top-level players again," Mbappe said. "Unfortunately, we were completely stunned. They gave us a proper wake-up call."England took the lead in the third minute when Rice fired home before providing the corner from which Konsa headed in the second goal in the 18th minute.Saka added two more before halftime as England exploited weaknesses in the French defence.France improved significantly after the break, with Mbappe scoring in the 48th and 66th minutes and Barcola adding another in between to set up a tense finale.Despite the pressure, England held on to secure third place and end their World Cup campaign on a high note.
