Bukayo Saka was not supposed to be the story of Saturday’s third-place match. With Kane and Bellingham rested on the bench, with the game widely dismissed as a dead rubber, and with the spotlight already on Sunday’s final, the 24-year-old Arsenal star delivered the performance of his career. Saka hat trick world cup heroics, three goals including a clinical penalty under enormous pressure at 4-3, powered England to a 6-4 victory over France in one of the greatest World Cup matches ever played.
The Three Goals
First goal (32′): Marcus Rashford drove into the box and unselfishly squared the ball across the face of goal. Saka, arriving at the back post, tapped in from close range. Clinical and composed, the kind of goal that shows a player in the right place at the right time.
Second goal (41′): This was the special one. Saka received the ball on the right side of the box, beat one defender with a drop of the shoulder, then another with a quick shift, and curled a left-footed finish beyond Maignan from the edge of the area. It was the kind of goal he scores regularly for Arsenal, but doing it on the World Cup stage, with a 3-0 lead to protect, elevated it to something more.
Third goal — the penalty (87′): The context made this the biggest of the three. France had roared back from 4-0 down to 4-3, and the stadium was swinging toward a French equalizer. When Saka was fouled in the box, the penalty felt like the moment that would define England’s tournament. He stepped up and buried it, completing his hat-trick and restoring the two-goal cushion that England needed to survive the final minutes.
Redemption After the Euros
For those with long memories, the penalty carried an extra layer. Saka missed a crucial penalty in the Euro 2020 final shootout against Italy at Wembley as a 19-year-old, a moment that briefly threatened to define his career. Five years later, with a World Cup third-place finish on the line and France surging, he stepped up and delivered. The growth from that teenager to this composed World Cup performer is one of the stories of England’s tournament.
Where Saka Finishes in the Golden Boot Race
Saka’s hat-trick took him to six tournament goals, tying him with Bellingham and Kane in the England scoring charts and finishing inside the top eight overall. Mbappe (10) and Messi (8) sit above him, but Saka’s tournament was defined by quality as much as quantity, and his performance Saturday will be the image England fans carry home. For the full race, see our Golden Boot tracker.
What It Means for England
England finish third at the 2026 World Cup, their best result in 60 years. It is not the trophy they wanted, but Saka’s hat-trick, Bellingham’s stoppage-time sealer, and the team’s refusal to let France complete the comeback sent the squad home with dignity. For Tuchel, whose tactical decisions in the semifinal drew criticism, the bronze match at least provided a positive final note. The full match recap is in our England 6-4 France analysis. Official records at FIFA.com.
