England survived a dramatic second-half comeback to beat France 6-4 in Saturday's chaotic third-place playoff, securing their best World Cup finish since 1966. Bukayo Saka's hat trick proved decisive as England led 4-0 at halftime through goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and two Saka strikes.

France manager Didier Deschamps introduced four substitutes at halftime, including Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola, sparking a furious response. Kylian Mbappé scored twice and assisted Barcola to complete his brace, moving him to 22 goals as the men's all-time World Cup top scorer, ahead of Lionel Messi. Michael Olise missed a golden chance to equalize before England steadied.

Djed Spence won an 87th-minute penalty that Saka converted for his hat trick. Dembélé pulled one back, but substitute Jude Bellingham drove home a late winner to make it 6-4. The 10 goals were the most in a World Cup match since 1982, and Bellingham became the first Englishman to score seven goals in a single tournament campaign.