England holds on to defeat France 6-4 in wild World Cup third place match

England secured third place in the World Cup with a thrilling 6-4 victory over France in a match that produced a remarkable 10 goals, the most in a third-place playoff since 1982. Bukayo Saka was the star for England, netting a hat trick with goals in the 37th minute, first-half stoppage time, and an 87th-minute penalty. England's other goals came from Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa, building a commanding 4-0 lead by halftime. Jude Bellingham added a seventh goal in second-half stoppage time, capping England's best World Cup performance since their 1966 triumph.

Despite the loss, France's Kylian Mbappé continued to make history. His two second-half goals propelled him past Lionel Messi's career World Cup scoring record, bringing his total to 22 goals. Mbappé also took the lead in the Golden Boot race with 10 goals for the tournament, two ahead of Messi. Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola scored France's other goals.

England's path to third place included a heartbreaking 2-1 semifinal loss to Argentina, despite opening the scoring. France, meanwhile, suffered a 2-0 defeat to Spain in their semifinal. Argentina and Spain are set to face off in the final on Sunday.

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England's Jude Bellingham capped the scoring in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time, his seventh goal of the tournament.