England grabs a Saka-ful of goals

England and France delivered a 10-goal thriller in a game that was supposed to just be an afterthought.

A day before the highly anticipated final between defending champion Argentina and 2010 winner Spain, Bukayo Saka scored three goals to lead England past Kylian Mbappe and France 6-4 in a wild third-place match at Miami Gardens in Florida.

Mbappe surpassed Lionel Messi's record for World Cup goals, scoring twice in the second half. The 27-year-old star has 22 career World Cup goals and 10 in this tournament alone, two ahead of Messi in the race for the Golden Boot going into Sunday's final.

It was the highest-scoring World Cup game since Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in 1982, and the 10 goals were the most ever in a third-place match.

Saka had goals in the 37th minute and in first-half stoppage time, then added a third from the spot in the 87th for his second England hat-trick. The Three Lions also got goals from Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa to build a 4-0 halftime lead, and they held out against a relentless France attack in the second half to secure their second-best World Cup finish since winning the title in 1966.

"I hope that the players can be proud of that in some time, "England coach Thomas Tuchel said, adding that he viewed England's World Cup run as a success, despite its collapse in the semifinals.

The Three Lions blew a 1-0 lead against Argentina and lost 2-1 when Messi assisted on two late goals.

Tuchel was criticized for his tactical decisions in the loss, with many wondering what it will take for England to end its decades-long wait for another trophy.

He said that Saturday's result was the first step toward closing the gap with teams like Argentina and France. "This game will help us for sure," he said, "even if a part will never allow you to fully celebrate the bronze medal."

Jude Bellingham capped the scoring in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time, his seventh goal of the tournament and the most in a World Cup by an England player.

Captain Harry Kane scored six this year, as he did in Russia in 2018, and Gary Lineker scored six at the 1986 World Cup.

Halftime substitutes Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele also scored in the second half for France, which pulled within 4-3 thanks to Mbappe's second goal.

Mbappe won the Golden Boot four years ago in Qatar, when France lost the final to Argentina on penalties, and is in a good position to repeat the achievement this year.

"I just try to help my team every time to score," Mbappe told Fox Sports. "It's 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."

Both teams had said they'd rather be playing in Sunday's 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 assistant manager Anthony Barry was on the verge of tears during his halftime interview.

"I have to be honest, I'm a little bit emotional, I'm struggling to find the words to describe how proud I am of these players," he said.

"They're playing the game with broken hearts, yet they can build a performance like that through playing for England. The team spirit we've built over the last seven weeks, it's been a privilege to watch."

A privilege enjoyed by a sellout crowd of 64,478 at the seventh and final World Cup match to be played at Miami Stadium.

Plenty of supporters were cheering for both teams. Many were there simply for the atmosphere of the low-stakes match, and it more than delivered.

"I love English football," said Gaston Esquivel, a native of Mexico City who came to support England.

"I've followed the Premier League since I was a kid. I am a Manchester United fan. I like their style, I like their game."

Thomas Viel, who traveled from Paris to follow France throughout the tournament, was hoping to see an Mbappe hat-trick. He nearly got one.

France trailed 4-0 when Mbappe flicked a shot past Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the 48th minute.

He beat Henderson again with a left-footed strike from about 14 yards in the 66th.

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.

"We were not expecting such a first half," Deschamps said.

"And we did better in the second half. We were deeply disappointed, gutted after the semis. I don't want to sum up my career on this moment."