- Bukayo Saka hat-trick upstages record-breaking Kylian Mbappe
Passionate and fervent in their support of the Three Lions, football fans are excitingly celebrating what they call ‘golden’ bronze-medal after a 10-goal thriller in the third place World Cup clash between England and France on Saturday night.
Clearly, the match represents one of the highest-scoring games of this year’s tournament, and it certainly didn’t disappoint in all ramifications.
Earlier in the week, England Manager Thomas Tuchel called it a fixture “nobody wants to play in”, but that didn’t appear to be the case as the Three Lions and Le Bluez battled in the highest-scoring third-place match ever in World Cup history.
At the final whistle, it was England that held on strong to edge past France in an exciting and wild 6-4 victory inside the Miami Stadium with with an attendance of 64,478
The encounter saw Bukayo Saka becoming just the second England player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup knockout match, after Sir Geoff Hurst in the 1966 final. The only other player to score a treble versus France in the competition was Pele in 1958.
A Game Of Two Halves
Declan Rice fired England in front almost instantly, curling a long-range effort from 25 yards beyond Mike Maignan. Désiré Doué’s poor pass was intercepted to spark the attack, and it was a shot the France goalkeeper should have saved. Still, it was a much-needed goal for an England side heavily criticized for its collapse against Argentina in the semifinal.
Seemingly motivated to put all of that behind them, England’s onslaught continued throughout the opening 45 minutes. Rice again played an important role in the 20th minute, with his inswinging corner finding Ezri Konsa, who expertly headed home to give England a 2-0 lead.
The Three Lions remained relentless, with a counterattack leaving Maignan helpless after he came off his line too early and left the goal exposed. After several attempts, Bukayo Saka was ultimately the beneficiary, smashing home England’s third goal of the half. But the Arsenal star wasn’t done yet.
Eberechi Eze played a perfectly weighted ball into the path of the pacey winger, who easily beat his defender before scoring another wondergoal. Tuchel’s side went into the break seemingly with one hand on the bronze medal after thrashing France in the first half, but Les Bleus made a game of it over the final 45 minutes.
Kylian Mbappé scored almost immediately after the break, pouncing at the end of an effective counterattack to cut England’s lead to 4-1. Bradley Barcola followed suit with another goal on the break before Michael Olise set up Mbappé with a beautiful assist to make it 4-3 and put England on the ropes.
With his second goal, Mbappé moved to 22 career World Cup goals, one ahead of Lionel Messi, to become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer. It is an incredible feat considering he is just 27, although Messi will have an opportunity to reclaim the record in Sunday’s final. Mbappé’s 10 goals also put him in control of the Golden Boot race.
The assist was Olise’s sixth of the competition, tying Pelé’s record for the most in a single World Cup. Yet he would rue his own missed opportunities after failing to convert not one, but two chances in front of goal – either of which would have pulled France level.
England made France pay at the other end. Malo Gusto fouled Djed Spence in the box, handing Saka a penalty in the 87th minute. The Arsenal star coolly converted to give England what appeared to be a decisive 5-3 lead with just minutes remaining. But France continued to fight.
Dembélé took advantage of poor defending from England to easily slot home France’s fourth goal. In the end, though, the Three Lions’ early advantage proved too much to overcome. Substitute Jude Bellingham delivered arguably the best goal of the match, dribbling past three defenders inside the France box before beating Maignan to ice a remarkable 6-4 win. It was Bellingham’s seventh goal of the tournament, setting a new England record and securing the country’s best World Cup finish since 1966.
The MVP
Where were these goals earlier in the tournament, Bukayo Saka?!
Saka has long been earmarked as a player with world-class potential, but injuries and inconsistency have largely kept him in the “very good” category. On Saturday, he scored a hat-trick – his first three goals of the competition – and went toe-to-toe with a determined Kylian Mbappé, who desperately tried to will France back into the match.
The poise Saka showed from the penalty spot, especially considering his history there with the national team, was massive. It could prove to be an exciting step forward for the 24-year-old, who is expected to play a major role in Arsenal’s title defense this season.
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The big loser
The final whistle? This match was that good.
But on a more serious note, Mike Maignan – who has been linked with a host of Premier League clubs this summer – did not play well. There were at least two clear goals he should have saved, and was positionally awkward at times.
A honorable mention might need to go to Olise, who was excellent, but will regret the two chances he should have scored which would have given France their equalizer. – Goal.com reports
