Saka hat-trick wins England a 6-4 bronze-final thriller as Mbappé breaks the World Cup scoring record

England ended their World Cup with a bronze medal and a match that will be remembered long after the medals are handed out, beating France 6-4 in a ten-goal third-place playoff in Miami. Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick and Jude Bellingham struck deep into stoppage time, yet France still left with a piece of history through Kylian Mbappé.

England raced clear early. Declan Rice opened inside the first few minutes, Ezri Konsa added a header, and Saka struck twice before the interval to make it 4-0 and leave the game looking settled. France had other ideas. Mbappé pulled one back moments after the restart, Bradley Barcola quickly followed, and when Mbappé scored again the deficit was down to a single goal with more than twenty minutes still to play.

The finish was frantic. Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot to steady England, Ousmane Dembélé kept France alive in stoppage time, and Bellingham had the final word with a solo goal that made it 6-4 and confirmed the bronze. Bellingham finished as the first England player to score seven goals at a single World Cup.

For all of England's celebrations, Mbappé's brace carried its own weight. The France captain moved past Lionel Messi to become the World Cup's all-time leading scorer, a record claimed on a night his side conceded six. It was also a goodbye: Didier Deschamps stepped down after 14 years in charge of France, ending an era that included a World Cup triumph and a run of deep tournament finishes.

The result closes the book on the tournament's supporting cast and sets the stage for Sunday's final, where Messi's Argentina meet Spain for the trophy itself.