AFCON 2025
England ended their World Cup campaign with a bang, beating France 6-4 in a wild third-place playoff in Miami on Saturday. Bukayo Saka scored a hat trick to power the Three Lions to their best finish since winning the tournament in 1966.
Saka struck twice in the first half, in the 37th minute and first-half stoppage time, before converting a penalty in the 87th minute to complete his second career hat trick for England. Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa also found the net as England raced to a commanding 4-0 halftime lead. Jude Bellingham added a late goal in second-half stoppage time, his seventh of the tournament.
The 10 goals made it the highest-scoring World Cup match since Hungary’s 10-1 win over El Salvador in 1982, and the most goals ever scored in a third-place game. France pushed hard after the break, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice, while Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele also got on the scoresheet, but the comeback fell short.
Mbappe’s brace made history in its own right. His 22nd World Cup goal moved him above Lionel Messi for the most career goals in tournament history, and he finished the competition with 10 goals, two clear of Messi in the Golden Boot race.
Michael Olise also etched his name into the record books. His assist for Mbappe’s landmark goal was his seventh of the tournament, breaking Pele’s record of six assists set during Brazil’s title-winning run in 1970. Olise had entered the game with five assists and set up both of Mbappe’s goals on the day.
Despite the individual milestones, France’s fightback proved insufficient. No team has ever overturned a four-goal World Cup deficit, and Olise himself squandered several chances that could have completed an unprecedented comeback.
England close the tournament on a high note after their gutting semifinal exit to Argentina, while France’s underwhelming defensive display capped a disappointing knockout stage that had already seen them lose to Spain in the last four.
