Saka hat-trick seals 6-4 England win over France in epic World Cup third-place playoff

It may have resembled an exhibition match at times, with France failing to turn up in the first half. But England’s thrilling 6-4 victory will send Tuchel home from the United States feeling a little bit better, even though he is not yet off the hook for what happened in Atlanta.

The fact that success against France was earned with a Bukayo Saka hat-trick, as well as goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and Bellingham, will prompt more debate over Tuchel’s decision-making when it really mattered. Not least why Saka watched the entire Argentina game from the substitutes’ bench.

Tuchel cut a relaxed figure, changing his touchline attire to a casual white T-shirt and tracksuit bottoms. But his team meant business, as they raced into a stunning four-goal first-half lead.

Saka played like a man with a point to prove. He scored twice and produced the shot from which England won the corner for Konsa’s goal in the opening 45 minutes. Was this a message to Tuchel or simply the winger taking out his frustration on France?

France looked uninterested from the start and it was a loose Désiré Doué pass that gifted possession to Rice. As England’s captain for the evening strided forwards, Doué did not bother to track him and Rice curled a lovely shot into the corner of the net to give Tuchel’s team a third-minute lead.

Having been criticised for sending on three defenders against Argentina, Tuchel started with five attacking players on the pitch and just Rice in front of the defence.

Saka had a goal correctly ruled out for offside before seeing a shot blocked that resulted in the corner from which England doubled their lead. Rice turned provider, as he sent in a perfect delivery that was headed past goalkeeper Mike Maignan by Konsa five minutes before the first hydration break.

While Tuchel would have been delighted with his team’s start to the game, Saka’s influence and impact raises just as many questions as answers.

Saka was the next England player on the scoresheet. He sent Marcus Rashford away on goal. Rashford’s shot was saved, but England kept the ball alive and Saka eventually found the back of the net via a deflection.

England had been given much sterner tests by DR Congo and Panama, and yet Tuchel’s players deserve praise for capitalising on such a terrible first-half performance from France.

Ebererchi Eze could not have believed that he was given the time and space to turn and pick out Saka on the stroke of half-time. He did so superbly and Saka easily added England’s fourth goal.

It perhaps summed up France’s mentality that Kylian Mbappé, who threatened on a couple of occasions in the first half, reacted to England’s fourth goal with what appeared to be a slight smirk.

Tuchel’s name had been booed by some of those, mostly neutral supporters, inside the Miami Stadium ahead of kick-off.

His star has undoubtedly fallen as a result of the Argentina defeat and yet nobody could have failed to have been impressed by what his and his players produced in the first half on Saturday night, however bad France had been.

When Tuchel made a change at half-time, there was no Dan Burn sent on to try to see out a 4-0 win. Instead, it was an attacking substitution with Ollie Watkins replacing Rashford. It immediately backfired, but Tuchel was later rewarded for trying to remain positive.

Watkins’ first act was to lose the ball on the halfway line to start a France attack that ended in a goal. Michael Olise played in Mbappé, who slotted the ball past Dean Henderson, who was given a rare chance ahead of Jordan Pickford.

France substitute Bradley Barcola pulled another goal back in the 54th-minute, which meant that England’s four-goal advantage had been halved in just nine second-half minutes.

There was still no call for Burn, as Tuchel stuck to his gung-ho approach and Henderson had to save well from Ousmane Dembélé, who had also been sent on at the break. England had lost their balance with the half-time change and Olise was the next France attacker to go close.

Dembélé tested Henderson again before Mbappé got France’s third goal just before the final hydration break to pass Lionel Messi as the World Cup’s all-time top scorer. Like they had against Argentina, England had dropped deep and invited pressure as their opposition grew in confidence.

Having led so comfortably at half-time, England went into the final quarter of the game with a slender one-goal lead – just as they had against Argentina in Atlanta.

Olise somehow missed a sitter after arriving late on the end of a low ball across the penalty area and Tuchel decided it was time for more changes. But it was Elliot Anderson and Bellingham he called for, rather than any extra defenders, and it ultimately paid dividends.

Bellingham almost dribbled his way through to put the result beyond doubt, before Olise squandered another wonderful opportunity. Mercifully, Djed Spence won an 85th-minute penalty that allowed Saka to complete his hat-trick.

There was still time for Dembélé to briefly up England’s anxiety levels again, before Bellingham put the finishing touch to what has been an outstanding World Cup for him personally with a brilliant goal.

[Source: Daily Telegraph]