Saka's hat-trick helps England top France 6-4, come third at World Cup

England clinched its best World Cup finish since lifting the trophy in 1966, as Bukayo Saka's hat-trick helped the Three Lions beat France 6-4 in a dramatic third-place match in Miami Gardens on Saturday.

Coach Thomas Tuchel made seven changes to the side that lost to Argentina in the semifinals, with Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice opening the scoring with a powerful strike just three minutes into the game.

England doubled the lead against Les Bleus in the 18th minute, as Ezri Konsa headed home a precise corner kick from Rice.

The match looked to be slipping away from France when Saka found the net in the 37th minute, before adding his second goal in first-half stoppage time, sending the Three Lions into halftime with a commanding 4-0 advantage.

France coach Didier Deschamps made four changes after the break, introducing Ousmane Dembele, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Digne and Bradley Barcola. The substitutions paid off immediately, with captain Kylian Mbappe scoring in the 48th minute to cut the deficit to 4-1.

Les Bleus, who fell to Spain in their semifinal contest, continued to battle back as Barcola struck in the 54th minute. Mbappe then found the net again 12 minutes later, closing the gap to 4-3 while also becoming the World Cup's all-time scoring leader with 22 goals.

England restored a two-goal advantage in the 87th minute, after Malo Gusto fouled Djed Spence inside the box. Saka converted the penalty kick to complete his hat-trick, making him just the fourth player to achieve the feat at a World Cup for the Three Lions.

Dembele scored to help France trim the margin to 5-4 and set up a tense finish, but Jude Bellingham sealed England's win with a brilliant solo effort, as the 23-year-old became the first player to tally seven goals for the Three Lions at a World Cup.

The 6-4 victory sealed a third-place finish, marking the best English result at the global football showpiece since the 1966 squad won the tournament for the first and so far only time in the team's history.