England beats France 6-4

England beats France 6-4

England secured a thrilling 6-4 win over France in the World Cup third-place game, with Bukayo Saka scoring a hat trick to lead his team to victory. The match, played in front of a sellout crowd of 64,478 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, was the highest-scoring World Cup game since Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in 1982.

Saka's goals came in the 37th minute, first-half stoppage time, and on a penalty in the 87th minute, marking his second career hat trick with England. The Three Lions also received goals from Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa, building a 4-0 halftime lead. England's Jude Bellingham capped the scoring in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time, his seventh goal of the tournament.

Despite the loss, France's Kylian Mbappé surpassed Lionel Messi's career World Cup scoring record, reaching 22 career goals, and took the lead in the Golden Boot race with a pair of second-half goals. Mbappé finished the World Cup with 10 goals, two ahead of Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.

The match was a wild and entertaining affair, with both teams creating numerous scoring opportunities. France trailed 4-0 before Mbappé scored his first goal in the 48th minute, and the team pulled within 4-3 on his second goal in the 66th minute. However, England held on to secure their second-best finish in the World Cup, with their only title coming in 1966.

England coach Thomas Tuchel viewed the team's World Cup run as a success, despite their collapse in the semifinals against Argentina. Tuchel said the team's performance in the third-place game would help them close the gap with teams like Argentina and France. "This game will help us for sure," he said, "even if a part will never allow you to fully celebrate the bronze medal."

The match also marked the final game for France coach Didier Deschamps, who has said he will step down after 14 years. Deschamps was emotional after the game, embracing players and waving to the crowd as he exited the pitch. "We were not expecting such a first half," Deschamps said. "And we did better in the second half. We were deeply disappointed, gutted after the semis. I don’t want to sum up my career on this moment."

Supporters from both teams were in attendance, with many cheering for the atmosphere of the low-stakes match. Gaston Esquivel, a native of Mexico City, came to support England, saying, "I love English football. I’ve followed the Premier League since I was a kid. I am a Manchester United fan. I like their style, I like their game." Thomas Viel, who traveled from Paris to follow France, was hoping to see a hat trick by Mbappé, saying, "I think Messi will not score a hat trick tomorrow."

Mbappé's performance in the World Cup has been impressive, and he will be looking to add to his goal tally in future tournaments. As for Messi, he will have one last chance to pass Mbappé for the scoring title when he and defending champion Argentina face Spain on Sunday.