Saka hat trick powers England past France in 10-goal World Cup finale

Bukayo Saka left France dizzy in Miami, scoring three times as England beat France 6-4 on Saturday to take third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to ESPN.

In ESPN’s player ratings by Adam Brown and multiple authors, Saka and Declan Rice shared England’s best marks at 9/10 after a third-place match that swerved from English stroll to French fightback and back again.

England were ahead inside three minutes. ESPN reported that Désiré Doué gave the ball away to Rice, who drove forward and struck from distance into the far corner.

Rice then supplied the corner for England’s second, with Ezri Konsa rising above Adrien Rabiot to head past Mike Maignan. Before half-time, Saka had scored twice, first from Marcus Rashford’s pass and then from an Eberechi Eze through ball, putting England 4-0 up.

France manager Didier Deschamps, taking charge of his 187th and final match for the national team, made four changes at the interval, ESPN reported. The move flipped the rhythm of the match.

Kylian Mbappé cut the gap after finishing from Michael Olise’s pass, then set up Bradley Barcola for France’s second. Mbappé scored again before the hydration break to make it 4-3, turning what had looked like a rout into a chase.

Olise missed a close-range chance to level the match, according to ESPN, and England punished France late. Malo Gusto fouled Djed Spence in the box, and Saka converted the penalty in the 85th minute to complete his hat trick.

Ousmane Dembélé gave France another late spark with a stoppage-time finish into the far corner. Jude Bellingham answered moments later with an individual goal, beating Maxence Lacroix before scoring England’s sixth.

ESPN’s England ratings

ESPN rated Thomas Tuchel 6/10, noting that the England manager gave minutes to players who had not featured heavily during the tournament and ended with the team’s strongest attacking display of the competition.

Rice’s 9/10 came with praise for his interception, long-range goal, assist and captain’s display. Saka’s 9/10 reflected his positioning for the first goal, his second finish before the break and his penalty.

Dean Henderson and Spence were each rated 7/10. ESPN credited Henderson with several important saves and noted Spence’s defensive work, as well as the penalty he won late on.

Eze and Rashford also received 7/10. Eze set up Saka’s second after escaping Warren Zaïre-Emery, while Rashford created Saka’s first and forced Maignan into a save with a long-range effort.

Konsa, Morgan Rogers and Ivan Toney were rated 6/10, while Marc Guéhi and Jarell Quansah were given 5/10. Quansah was replaced after an injury in the 83rd minute.

France fall short in Deschamps’ farewell

ESPN gave Deschamps a 6/10 rating, crediting his half-time changes for France’s improved second half.

Maignan, Theo Hernández, Lacroix, Gusto and Zaïre-Emery were all rated 4/10 in ESPN’s assessment, while Ibrahima Konaté and Rabiot received 5/10.

The result left England with third place and France with a wild goodbye for Deschamps, whose long run in charge ended with ten goals, a Mbappé rally and a Saka hat trick.

This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.