England's World Cup Glory: Saka Treble Secures Thrilling 10-Goal Victory Over France

England secured third place in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ after a sensational 6-4 victory over France in what became the highest-scoring third-place play-off in the tournament's history. The match, held at Miami Stadium, saw England establish a commanding four-goal lead before surviving a remarkable second-half comeback from Les Bleus, ultimately sealing their best World Cup finish since winning the trophy in 1966.

The Three Lions made a dream start, with Declan Rice opening the scoring after just three minutes. Rice intercepted the ball near the halfway line, drove forward, and curled a superb effort beyond Mike Maignan from just outside the penalty area. This goal, struck after only 134 seconds, marked England's second-fastest in World Cup history. England doubled their lead in the 18th minute when Ezri Konsa rose unmarked to head home from a corner whipped in by Rice. Bukayo Saka then took complete control, combining with Marcus Rashford in a sweeping counter-attack to sweep home a left-footed shot for a 3-0 advantage. Incredibly, Saka struck again in injury time before the interval, finishing into the bottom corner after being played in by Eberechi Eze, handing Thomas Tuchel’s team a commanding 4-0 lead at half-time. This dominant first half left France, under coach Didier Deschamps, facing what appeared to be their biggest World Cup defeat since a 5-2 loss to Brazil in 1958.

Didier Deschamps responded with a quartet of changes at the start of the second half, introducing Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Lucas Digne, and Dayot Upamecano, which immediately made an impact. Kylian Mbappé pulled one back for France in the 48th minute, drilling home his ninth goal of the tournament after a perfectly-weighted ball from Michael Olise. Six minutes later, Barcola ran onto a superb through ball from Mbappé to reduce the deficit to 4-2. Mbappé struck again in the 66th minute, playing a one-two with Olise before firing home to make it 4-3. This goal not only put France just one behind but also saw Mbappé become the all-time leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history with 22 career goals and his 10th goal of the tournament, joining an exclusive club of players to hit double figures in a single World Cup. Meanwhile, Michael Olise broke Pelé’s long-standing record by registering his seventh assist of the tournament, the most ever recorded in a World Cup since records began in 1966.

With France pushing for an equaliser and having missed a couple of glaring chances, England won a crucial penalty in the 85th minute after Malo Gusto brought down Djed Spence inside the box. Saka kept his composure and completed his hat-trick from the spot in the 87th minute, beating goalkeeper Mike Maignan from 12 yards to restore a two-goal cushion, making it 5-3. Although Ousmane Dembele fired home a left-footed shot six minutes into additional time for a late consolation, Jude Bellingham, England's player of the tournament, had the final say. Dribbling past multiple defenders, Bellingham scored a brilliant solo goal even later, sealing a 6-4 victory for England in one of the greatest matches the World Cup has ever seen. The match also marked the end of Didier Deschamps’ successful reign as France coach.