Bukayo Saka just gave England a painful reminder of how good he can be at his best, with the Arsenal star putting on a masterclass against France in the World Cup third place play-off.
It’s painful because Saka wasn’t able to feature for much of the tournament, nursing an Achilles issue that has followed him for months.
For the game against France on Saturday, he was finally deemed fit to start.
His hat-trick led England to a bizarre 6-4 win, having been up 4-0 at the break. He had two well-taken finishes in the first half and a decisive penalty in the latter stages.
Only three other England players have managed a hat-trick at a World Cup.
England’s World Cup hat-trick club
Geoff Hurst vs West Germany – 1966
We’re starting with the most important hat-trick in World Cup history. England icon Geoff Hurst holds a unique, untouchable status in English football lore. His historic treble didn’t come in an easy group stage walkover, but on the grandest stage of all: the 1966 World Cup Final against West Germany.
A sharp near-post header to equalize, the famously controversial extra-time strike that rattled off the crossbar and down, and a thumping left-footed finish into the top corner just as commentators uttered the iconic “they think it’s all over” line.
Spurred on by his heroics, England went on to lift their first and only World Cup trophy.
Gary Lineker vs Poland – 1986
Gary Lineker is another iconic England No.9, second on the nation’s all-time World Cup scoring list. He got his hat-trick during the 1986 World Cup in a must-win final group stage match against Poland.
The goals were classic poacher finishes, all coming in the first half: a close-range tap-in from a low cross, a sharp half-volley, and a quick reaction to a spilt ball.
His goals saved England’s tournament and sparked a run to the quarter-finals, where they were eventually knocked out by Argentina and Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal.
Harry Kane vs Panama – 2018
Harry Kane is England’s all-time top goalscorer, and a 2018 hat-trick helped him get there. He picked up his World Cup hat-trick during the tournament in Russia, during a comfortable 6-1 group stage thrashing of Panama.
It wasn’t the prettiest hat-trick, consisting of two identical, smashed penalties in the first half and a lucky third goal when a shot from outside the box deflected off the back of his heel.
Kane’s goals helped him secure the tournament’s Golden Boot and propelled England all the way to the semi-finals, before they suffered a painful extra-time loss to Croatia.
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