England’s historic third place finish at the world cup with bukayo saka’s hat-trick

Bukayo Saka of Arsenal couldn’t wipe the grin off his face after England secured a historic third-place finish at the World Cup, thanks to his decisive hat-trick against France (6-4).

England’s journey to the podium marked their best World Cup performance in six decades, since their legendary 1966 victory against West Germany (4-2 after extra time). While the Three Lions fell short of reaching the final—first since 1966—this was a milestone moment after two prior defeats in the third-place playoffs: 2-1 against Italy in 1990 and 2-0 to Belgium in 2018. Saturday’s thrilling encounter saw England dominate early, leading 4-0 at halftime before France fought back in the second half.

«It was an absolutely mad game,» Saka admitted in an interview with British broadcasters. «Both teams were disappointed not to reach the final, but we wanted to give the country its best World Cup result in 60 years—and we did. The final outcome makes everything worthwhile.» Reflecting on the match’s twists, he added, «The first half was all ours. We took the lead early, they came back strong in the second, but we held our nerve to score those crucial late goals and clinch the win.»

a penalty, a hat-trick, and a dream fulfilled

The deciding moment came when Saka stepped up to take a penalty, converting it with composure—despite Jude Bellingham, England’s usual penalty taker, being on the pitch. «Jude never wanted to take it,» Saka revealed with a chuckle. «He was the first to tell me, ‘Go for the hat-trick.’ He held onto the ball for a while, but I stayed focused. There was no doubt in my mind I’d take it.»

Saka also briefly touched on his personal journey—one that saw him start five of England’s first seven matches from the bench, including no minutes played in the semi-final loss to Argentina (1-2). «Of course, I would have loved more playing time,» he confessed. «But now isn’t the time for that conversation. My focus is on the pitch. That’s where I express myself—and we’ve turned the page.» Now 25, Saka will have little time to dwell on the past, as the Nations League resumes in just two months, kicking off with a high-stakes clash against Spain on September 26th.