{"id":5240,"date":"2026-07-19T05:04:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T05:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240"},"modified":"2026-07-19T05:04:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T05:04:02","slug":"bukayo-sakas-hat-trick-lifts-england-past-kylian-mbappe-france-in-wild-world-cup-third-place-match","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240","title":{"rendered":"Bukayo Saka\u2019s hat trick lifts England past Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, France in wild World Cup third-place match"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. \u2014 Bukayo Saka scored three goals to lead England to a 6-4 win over France for third place in the World Cup, while Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 surpassed Lionel Messi\u2019s career tournament scoring record and took the lead in the Golden Boot race with a pair of second-half goals Saturday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Lionel Messi and defending champion Argentina to play Spain for the World Cup soccer crown<\/a><\/p>\n

It was the highest-scoring World Cup game since Hungary beat El Salvador, 10-1, in 1982, and the 10 goals were the most in a third-place match.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saka had goals in the 37th minute and in first-half stoppage time, then added his third on a penalty in the 87th for his second career hat trick with England. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

The Three Lions also got goals from Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa to build a 4-0 halftime lead, and they hung on during a wild second half to secure their second-best finish in the World Cup. England won its only title in 1966.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that the players can be proud of that in some time,\u201d England coach Thomas Tuchel said. \u201cWe are fiercely competitive, so we almost don\u2019t allow ourselves to be proud of third place because 18 months ago we set the highest goal. We set the highest dream to chase, and we were very, very ambitious with our dream to make it to the final and win the World Cup. So it\u2019s very, very painful if you miss out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tuchel\u00a0was criticized\u00a0for his tactical decisions in the loss, with many wondering what it will take for England to end its decades-long wait for another trophy.<\/span><\/p>\n

He said Saturday\u2019s result was the first step toward closing the gap with teams like Argentina and France.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis game will help us for sure,\u201d he said, \u201ceven if a part will never allow you to fully celebrate the bronze medal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

England\u2019s Jude Bellingham capped the scoring in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time with his seventh goal of the tournament, and the most in a World Cup by an England player. Captain Harry Kane scored six this year and in 2018, and Gary Lineker had six in 1986.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 also scored in the second half for France, which pulled within 4-3 on Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s second goal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mbapp\u00e9 reached 22 career goals, one more than Messi. The star striker finished this World Cup with 10 goals, two ahead of Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, which is awarded to the tournament\u2019s top scorer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Red Sox grab 12th consecutive win on Wilyer Abreu\u2019s late go-ahead home run against Rays<\/a><\/p>\n

Messi will get one last shot at the scoring title when he and defending champion Argentina face Spain Sunday (3 p.m.) in East Rutherford, N.J.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>It may be a Lionel Messi World Cup, but there\u2019s more to the tournament than that<\/div>\n

\u201cLeo scores all the time,\u201d Mbapp\u00e9 told Fox Sports in French. \u201cTomorrow he will score for sure. I just try to help my team every time to score. It\u2019s certain that when you score so many goals in the World Cup, it elevates you to certain levels. I would have preferred not to be the top scorer in history and play in the match tomorrow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Both teams had said they\u2019d rather be playing in Sunday\u2019s final. France had enough offensive firepower to potentially win the tournament, but Les Bleus lost to Spain in the semifinals and squandered their chance at reaching a third straight World Cup final. England blew a 1-0 lead against Argentina and lost, 2-1, when Messi assisted on two late goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, a sellout crowd of 64,478 showed up to watch the seventh and final match of this World Cup at Hard Rock Stadium. Plenty of supporters were cheering for both teams, but many were there simply for the atmosphere of the low-stakes match.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love English football,\u201d said Gaston Esquivel, a native of Mexico City who came to support England. \u201cI\u2019ve followed the Premier League since I was a kid. I am a Manchester United fan. I like their style, I like their game.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Thomas Viel, who traveled from Paris to follow France throughout the tournament, was hoping to see a hat trick by Mbapp\u00e9. He nearly got his wish.<\/span><\/p>\n

France trailed 4-0 when Mbapp\u00e9 flicked a shot past goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the 48th minute. Then he beat Henderson again with a left-footed strike from about 14 yards in the 66th.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cI think Messi will not score a hat trick tomorrow,\u201d Viel said.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was also the final match for France coach Didier Deschamps, who has said he will step down after 14 years. Deschamps embraced players and waved toward the crowd as he exited the pitch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were not expecting such a first half,\u201d Deschamps said through an interpreter. \u201cAnd we did better in the second half. We were deeply disappointed, gutted after the semis. I don\u2019t want to sum up my career on this moment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Red Sox pitching has been a pillar in their dominant 11-0 win streak<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Brits also got goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and Jude Bellingham to hold off the hard-charging French, who potted four goals in the second half. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\nBukayo Saka\u2019s hat trick lifts England past Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, France in wild World Cup third-place match - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bukayo Saka\u2019s hat trick lifts England past Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, France in wild World Cup third-place match - Boston Relocation Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Brits also got goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and Jude Bellingham to hold off the hard-charging French, who potted four goals in the second half.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Boston Relocation Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-19T05:04:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=5240#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=5240\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e\"},\"headline\":\"Bukayo Saka\u2019s hat trick lifts England past Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, France in wild World Cup third-place match\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-19T05:04:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=5240\"},\"wordCount\":869,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=5240#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/da1a181e7a1fe6f9eddd21c76149759e.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=5240#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=5240\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=5240\",\"name\":\"Bukayo Saka\u2019s hat trick lifts England past Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, France in wild World Cup third-place match - Boston Relocation Insider\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=5240#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=5240#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/da1a181e7a1fe6f9eddd21c76149759e.avif\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-19T05:04:02+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=5240#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=5240\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=5240#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/da1a181e7a1fe6f9eddd21c76149759e.avif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/da1a181e7a1fe6f9eddd21c76149759e.avif\",\"width\":1440,\"height\":960},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=5240#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Bukayo Saka\u2019s hat trick lifts England past Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, France in wild World Cup third-place match\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Boston Relocation Insider\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Bukayo Saka\u2019s hat trick lifts England past Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, France in wild World Cup third-place match - Boston Relocation Insider","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Bukayo Saka\u2019s hat trick lifts England past Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, France in wild World Cup third-place match - Boston Relocation Insider","og_description":"The Brits also got goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and Jude Bellingham to hold off the hard-charging French, who potted four goals in the second half.","og_url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240","og_site_name":"Boston Relocation Insider","article_published_time":"2026-07-19T05:04:02+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e"},"headline":"Bukayo Saka\u2019s hat trick lifts England past Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, France in wild World Cup third-place match","datePublished":"2026-07-19T05:04:02+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240"},"wordCount":869,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/da1a181e7a1fe6f9eddd21c76149759e.avif","articleSection":["Sport"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240","url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240","name":"Bukayo Saka\u2019s hat trick lifts England past Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, France in wild World Cup third-place match - Boston Relocation Insider","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/da1a181e7a1fe6f9eddd21c76149759e.avif","datePublished":"2026-07-19T05:04:02+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/da1a181e7a1fe6f9eddd21c76149759e.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/da1a181e7a1fe6f9eddd21c76149759e.avif","width":1440,"height":960},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5240#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Bukayo Saka\u2019s hat trick lifts England past Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, France in wild World Cup third-place match"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/","name":"Boston Relocation Insider","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com"],"url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5240\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}