Saka scores hat-trick as England beat France in World Cup showdown

Bukayo Saka delivered the kind of World Cup performance that reshaped his standing in an England shirt, completing a hat-trick against France after first stepping up with the composure of a player trusted in the biggest moments. The Arsenal forward had already signaled before kickoff that he was ready to take another penalty for England, a striking shift from the pain of Euro 2020, when he missed the decisive spot kick in the final defeat to Italy at Wembley.

The match carried extra heat because of the Kylian Mbappé comparison that had followed Saka into the buildup. Saka had pushed back on being cast as England’s answer to Mbappé, but the scrutiny only intensified as France came into view and the French press followed his every move. When the game turned into an end-to-end contest, Saka made the decisive impact, finishing the move that completed his treble and gave England the edge they needed to beat France on the World Cup stage.

The significance of the goal went beyond the scoreline. England’s willingness to place Saka at the center of penalty duty and attacking responsibility reflected how far he has come from the emotional burden of Wembley. The miss in the Euro 2020 final once defined the public conversation around him; this performance recast him as one of England’s most reliable pressure players, the sort of forward Gareth Southgate can trust when the margins are smallest and the stakes highest.

Saka’s hat-trick also stood out because it remains an unusual event in his club career. He has been close before, including a Champions League night when Kai Havertz got in the way of what would have been his first Arsenal hat-trick, a reminder that three-goal games are not routine for him. That made the France display even more striking: this was not just another good night from a talented winger, but a rare, complete attacking performance from a player whose confidence and responsibility have grown with England’s next era.