In the World Cup history, the third-place matches have produced the most entertaining football.
England’s stunning 6-4 win over France on Saturday was the latest chapter in this fixture where there is nothing at stake as teams go all out for goals.
This is what makes Bukayo Saka’s hat trick in the 10-goal thriller a bittersweet moment.
The Arsenal winger’s superb performance came just two days after he was an unused substitute against Argentina in the semifinals.
England went on to lose to their bitter rivals 2-1 despite taking the lead through Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute.
A combination of defensive tactics and the inability to absorb pressure late in the second half saw England’s dream of winning the World Cup for the first time in 60 years go up in smoke.
Saka could have made a difference with his movement and finishing skills when Argentina left spaces in their backline while going for the equaliser.
But he remained a spectator on the bench as manager Thomas Tuchel preferred to make defensive substitutions, which eventually played into the hands of Argentina.
Now, five years after being racially targeted by fans following his penalty miss in England’s defeat to Italy in the Euro final at Wembley, Saka must be content with a hat trick in a third-place match.
Born to Nigerian parents in London, Saka said he was proud of his performance in the third-place playoff of a tournament where England could have achieved so much more.
“When you lose there’s always going to be noise, when you win there’s going to be noise,” Saka said.
“It’s how you react to it, how you use it as fuel and today we finished strong so that’s all we could really do and we’ve done it.”
Saturday’s match also saw Saka become only the fourth England player after Geoff Hurst, Gary Lineker and Harry Kane to score a World Cup hat trick.
In a knockout game of the global showpiece, he became the second England player after the 1966 World Cup hero Hurst to score a hat trick.
Having arrived at the tournament with injury concerns, Saka’s workload was carefully managed by the England coaching staff.
He spent just 357 minutes on the pitch during the tournament, scoring three goals and providing three assists.
“Of course, I would love to have played more,” he said.
“But of course, it’s not the time to talk about that now. I try to do my talking on the pitch. It’s done now. Move on.”
Having played a big role in Arsenal’s historic Premier League victory after a gap of 22 years, the 24-year-old’s magnificent hat trick against France reminded fans and pundits of his wonderful talent.
Now, as the Three Lions turn their attention to Euro 2028, which will be co-hosted by England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Saka will aim to become an indispensable member of the national team.
A target of toxic racist fans after the Euro 2020 final, Saka has what it takes to produce one of football’s most incredible redemption stories by winning a major trophy on home soil in two years’ time.
Source: Khaleej Times