England beat France 6-4 in the World Cup third-place play-off, with Bukayo Saka scoring a hat-trick to secure a bronze medal. The performance contrasted sharply with the semi-final loss to Argentina, where Thomas Tuchel left Saka out in favor of Morgan Rogers.

Saka revealed he "wanted to play more" but insisted he's fully fit: "Yeah. I'm fit. I'm fit." Tuchel defended his semi-final call, saying he "had a feeling" Rogers would offer something special, though he admitted Saka is a "key player" and wasn't aware of the hat-trick during the game.

Sky Sports' Sam Blitz argued Tuchel's omission of Saka against Argentina may be his biggest mistake, noting Saka had three assists in 192 minutes and is England's best forward behind Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. England's defensive fragility remained a concern despite the win.

Tuchel said the victory is a "first step" to closing the gap to France, with the Nations League against Spain next. He remains energized but acknowledged the pain of missing the final.