Soccer
Bukayo Saka refused to dwell on his lack of minutes at the 2026 World Cup following Saturday’s third-place play-off, saying: “It’s done now, move on.”
Saka helped England close out their tournament on a high note as his hat-trick guided the Three Lions to a 6-4 win over France in a 10-goal thriller in Miami.
Saka is the second England player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup knockout-stage match, after Geoff Hurst in the 1966 final, while the only other player to score a treble against France in the competition is Brazil icon Pele in 1958.
England, meanwhile, have achieved their second-best finish at the World Cup (third place), behind their 1966 success on home soil.
Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel was criticised for his defensive changes in Wednesday’s semi-final defeat to Argentina, with Saka an unused substitute.
Saka only started three games at the tournament overall, but he was glad to help England finish their campaign with a victory.
“Of course, I would love to have played more, but it’s too late to talk about that,” Saka told BBC Sport.
“I try to do my talking on the pitch, and it’s done now. Move on.
“It was a crazy, crazy game. We’re both still quite disappointed to not be in the final, but it was about finishing strongly and giving the country the best finish in the World Cup in 60 years, so we’re happy with the final result.”
3 – Bukayo Saka is the second @England player to score a hat-trick in a FIFA World Cup knockout stage match after Sir Geoff Hurst in the 1966 final.
Delightful. pic.twitter.com/QvdDSJ0c8z
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 18, 2026
England won a World Cup game against an opponent ranked higher than them in the FIFA World Rankings for only the second time, previously beating Argentina 1-0 in 2002 (D1 L8).
While Tuchel admitted he was worried about the physical condition of his team, the England boss was proud of their efforts in testing conditions throughout the tournament.
“We had a brilliant first half and then a turbulent second half,” said Tuchel.
“So a massive compliment and full respect for the mentality that we showed. Going through all the adversity is absolutely brilliant.
“We played in the heat, at altitude. I was worried physically. You could see it in the second half, the cramps and all the tiredness, but I was never worried about the mentality.
“I have said it before, this team has created something very special, and they showed it again.”
Saturday’s play-off marked the very first time France had conceded six goals in a World Cup match, and the first time they had been four goals down at half-time in any game since April 1930 (1-5 versus Belgium).
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