England claim third place with thrilling 6-4 win over France

England secured a dramatic 6-4 victory over France in the World Cup third-place playoff, sealing their best World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966. Bukayo Saka starred with a brilliant hat-trick as England capped off their campaign in style.

Played in Miami, the match saw England dominate from the opening whistle. Goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and a first-half brace from Bukayo Saka gave the Three Lions a commanding 4-0 lead at halftime. France, meanwhile, looked disjointed and struggled to find any rhythm during the opening 45 minutes.

Following their semifinal defeats, both teams made seven changes to their starting lineups. In what was Didier Deschamps‍‍` final match after 14 years in charge, the France coach introduced four substitutes at halftime, including Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola, in an effort to spark a comeback.

France showed signs of life just three minutes into the second half. Kylian Mbappe converted Michael Olise‍‍`s pass with a first-time finish to reduce the deficit.

Six minutes later, Mbappe turned provider, setting up Barcola for France‍‍`s second goal. Mbappe then scored again from another attack to register his 10th goal of the tournament. The strike also took his career World Cup tally to 22 goals, moving him past Lionel Messi on the all-time men‍‍`s World Cup scoring list.

Olise, who set a new record with seven assists in a single World Cup tournament, had a golden opportunity to level the match but fired wide from close range.

England eventually regained control of the contest. Right-back Djed Spence burst into the penalty area before being brought down, prompting the referee to award a penalty. Saka calmly converted the spot kick in the 87th minute to complete his hat-trick, becoming only the fourth England player to score a World Cup hat-trick.

The drama was not over, however. Ousmane Dembele curled home a superb left-footed strike to pull another goal back for France. But England had the final word as substitute Jude Bellingham broke through the French defense to score from close range, sealing a memorable 6-4 victory and third place at the World Cup.