Saka's hat-trick, a 6-4 thriller, and Bellingham's explanation: 'he stepped up just so they wouldn't distract me'
Bukayo Saka scored three goals in an electrifying France vs England (4-6) third-place match at the 2026 World Cup. Here's what he said about the penalty.
Six goals, two heartbroken nations, and a result nobody will forget. England dispatched France 6-4 in the 2026 World Cup third-place match in Miami, with Bukayo Saka stealing the show — scoring three of England's six goals.
After the final whistle, Saka was keen to clear up the story behind the penalty that produced England's fifth goal. Jude Bellingham stepped up to the ball before him, but the plan was never in doubt. "Jude never intended to take the penalty," the Arsenal forward insisted. "He stepped up just so they wouldn't distract me. I was always the one chosen to take it."
Saka summed up the match perfectly: "It was a crazy game." Both sides arrived carrying the frustration of falling short of the final, but the goal was to leave with their heads held high. "We won the first half, they won the second, and in the end we managed to score two goals and win," he reflected.
For England, the result represents their best finish in 60 years. For Saka, it is a chapter of personal growth in a tournament where he felt he could have played more. "It's too late to talk about that now. I try to 'talk' on the pitch," he said, already looking ahead.
The international press, according to Record, highlighted the "flurry" of goals and called the clash a game nobody will forget — from "bitter heartbreak" to pure spectacle. Golmetria's model had England as pre-tournament title favourites, with a 7% chance of lifting the trophy — well above France's 1.4%. On the market, France still showed an implied title probability of 17.9% against England's 13.3% — figures that now serve only as a historical footnote.
The long-awaited English glory didn't arrive this time. But Saka sent a clear message: he'll be ready for the next one.