England defeated France 6-4 on Saturday to secure third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, recording their best finish since winning the tournament in 1966 in a thrilling match that produced the highest number of goals in a World Cup game since 1982.

Axar.az reports that Bukayo Saka starred with a hat-trick as England stormed into a 4-0 first-half lead through goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and two from Saka.

France mounted a spirited comeback after the break. Kylian Mbappe scored twice, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele also found the net, cutting the deficit to 5-4 in stoppage time. However, Jude Bellingham sealed England's victory with a close-range finish in the 98th minute.

Mbappe's brace moved him two goals clear of Lionel Messi in the race for the tournament's Golden Boot and saw him surpass Messi's all-time World Cup scoring record with 22 goals.

Despite admitting before the match that France lacked motivation for the third-place playoff, coach Didier Deschamps fielded several star players, including Mbappe, Michael Olise and Mike Maignan. England, meanwhile, rested key names such as Harry Kane, Bellingham and Jordan Pickford at kick-off.

Reflecting on the defeat, Mbappe said France were "completely stunned" in the first half but praised the team's response after the break.

"There were two very different halves. In the first, we were completely stunned. In the second, we went back to being top-level players. We didn't win, and that's a shame for the coach. This match won't tarnish Didier Deschamps' legacy," he said.

Bellingham ended the 2026 World Cup with seven goals, setting a new England record for the most goals scored by a player in a single World Cup tournament.