France 4-6 England: Saka Hat-Trick Crowns a 10-Goal Bronze Classic
Ten goals, a Saka hat-trick and Mbappé passing Messi as the World Cup's all-time top scorer — England beat France 6-4 to claim a first-ever bronze.
Ten goals in one World Cup match — the first time since 1982. The game nobody supposedly wanted turned into an instant classic: England beat France 6-4 in Miami to claim their first-ever third-place finish and their best World Cup since winning it all in 1966.
The 45 minutes that stunned France
Thomas Tuchel shuffled his deck: Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham started on the bench, Dean Henderson made his World Cup debut in goal, and the captain's armband went to Declan Rice. Rice repaid it inside two and a half minutes with the opener. Ezri Konsa's header doubled the lead in the 18th, and Bukayo Saka struck twice before the break. 4-0 at half-time, with France still on their sunloungers.
Mbappé refuses to fold — and makes history
The second half was a different sport. Kylian Mbappé pulled one back straight after the restart, Bradley Barcola made it 4-2 in the 54th — and pointedly did not celebrate. In the 66th minute Mbappé scored again: his 10th of the tournament and his 22nd at World Cups, passing Lionel Messi as the competition's all-time leading scorer — and the first man in double figures at a single World Cup since Gerd Müller in 1970. Michael Olise, who assisted both, moved past Pelé with his seventh World Cup assist. The official FIFA clips of Saka's goal and Mbappé's record-breaker are on YouTube.
Drama to the very last kick
Olise spurned two glorious chances to level, and England punished him. Malo Gusto's foul on Djed Spence handed Saka an 87th-minute penalty, buried coolly for his hat-trick. Ousmane Dembélé still found a 96th-minute response in Didier Deschamps' final game after 14 years — but two minutes later, substitute Jude Bellingham iced it with the match's 10th goal, his seventh of the tournament, an England record at a major tournament.
Score & scorers
| England (6) | France (4) |
|---|---|
| Declan Rice 3' | Kylian Mbappé (early 2nd half) |
| Ezri Konsa 18' | Bradley Barcola 54' |
| Bukayo Saka ×2 (1st half) | Kylian Mbappé 66' |
| Bukayo Saka 87' (pen) | Ousmane Dembélé 90+6' |
| Jude Bellingham 90+8' |
A night of records
| 10 goals | Most in a World Cup match since 1982 |
| Mbappé 22 | All-time World Cup top scorer — past Messi |
| Mbappé 10 in 2026 | First double figures at one World Cup since Müller (1970) |
| Olise 7 assists | All-time World Cup assist record — past Pelé |
| Bellingham 7 goals | England record at a major tournament |
| Bronze | England's first third place; best finish since 1966 |
"It is the first medal in 60 years, the best World Cup on foreign soil, so I hope the players can be proud," said Tuchel, booed by some fans before kickoff and applauded after it — his full press conference is on YouTube.
One stage left
Mbappé leads the Golden Boot with 10 — and the only man who can answer plays Sunday, when Messi's Argentina meet Spain at MetLife (3:00 p.m. ET). Coverage guide: how to watch the final; the road here is mapped on our bracket page and the prediction desk has its number.
