Bukayo Saka Reveals He Wanted to Play More After Hat-Trick Answers Tuchel’s Big Call Against Argentina

Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick to send England to a World Cup bronze medal on Saturday night, three days after Thomas Tuchel had left him out of the semi-final defeat to Argentina in favor of Morgan Rogers. England won 6-4 against France at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami in a match that produced ten goals, two second-half French comebacks and one final twist from Jude Bellingham in stoppage time. Afterward, Saka did not hide how he felt about watching the Argentina game from the bench.

“Of course, I would love to have played more,” Saka said. “But of course, it’s not the time to talk about that. I try to do my talking on the pitch. It’s done now. Move on.”

Left Out Against Argentina

England had gone into the semi-final with a defensive, tight approach and lost to Argentina without the winger who had come into the tournament as their most experienced and successful forward outside of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. Tuchel picked Rogers instead, and Rogers set up Anthony Gordon’s goal in that game. Saka watched from the bench.

The decision carried extra significance given the shape Saka was in. An issue that had troubled him for the final two months of his season with Arsenal, one that followed an underwhelming display in the Champions League final, had kept him out of England’s first two matches at the World Cup. By the quarter-finals he had still managed three assists in only 192 minutes on the pitch, evidence enough that his form had returned before Tuchel chose to leave him out again for the biggest game of the tournament.

A Wild Night in Miami

England could not have made a stronger case for what they had been missing. Declan Rice opened the scoring in the third minute, latching onto a misplaced French pass for a finish that set the tone. Rice turned provider next, his corner headed in by Ezri Konsa in the 18th minute. Saka struck twice before halftime, rebounding home from a Marcus Rashford one-on-one chance in the 37th minute, then collecting an Eze through-ball to fire low into the corner in first-half stoppage time. England led 4-0 at the break, playing with a speed and directness that had been missing against Argentina.

France wore a different look after halftime. Kylian Mbappe pulled one back with a side-footed finish three minutes in, then set up Bradley Barcola for a second in the 54th minute. In the 66th minute Mbappe struck again, a finish after a one-two with Michael Olise that also made him the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer. Olise then missed two chances that could have leveled the score before Djed Spence won England a penalty off Malo Gusto, and Saka sent the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot in the 87th minute to complete his hat-trick and restore breathing room at 5-3.

Even that was not the end of it. Substitute Ousmane Dembele curled in a French goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time to set up a grandstand finish on what was also Didier Deschamps’ final match in charge of France. Two minutes later, substitute Jude Bellingham dribbled into the area and rounded the defenders to score England’s sixth, a goal that also set the record for the most goals by an England player at a major tournament with seven.

Mbappe’s second goal carried its own significance beyond the scoreline. It moved him two goals clear of Lionel Messi at the top of the all-time World Cup scoring list, a record that will follow him into Sunday’s final between Argentina and Spain regardless of how that match unfolds. For a France side already out of the tournament, and now saying goodbye to their manager, the individual milestone offered little comfort. The 64,478 fans inside Hard Rock Stadium had come for a bronze medal match and instead watched ten goals across a night that swung one way and then the other before England held on.

Tuchel’s Defense and Praise

Tuchel had been booed by sections of the England support before kickoff over the Argentina defeat, and he addressed the criticism directly in his press conference afterward. Asked about the reaction, he said it “felt as if we went out in group stage without a win,” before adding: “It is the first medal in 60 years, the best World Cup on foreign soil, so I hope the players can be proud of that in some time.”

On the substance of the win itself, Tuchel described a performance built on exhaustion as much as quality. “It was like four matches, what happened here. Crazy first half and a turbulent second half. You could see the difference what one day makes,” he said. “We were so, so tired and drained from the last few weeks. Massive compliment and respect for the mentality we showed with all the adversity. Absolutely brilliant. I was afraid of the physical demand of the match due to the threat of France. They had one day more after the semi-final and had less travel distance than us. We played in the heat in extra time, at altitude. I was worried physically. You can see it in the second half, all the cramps and tiredness. But I was never worried about the tiredness. This team has created something special.”

On Saka specifically, Tuchel did not walk back the decision to leave him out against Argentina, even while praising him without reservation. “He did everything right,” Tuchel said. “I had just a feeling in the semi-final for Morgan Rogers that he would be involved in something special. That was it. The game itself was so in demand that we were forced into changes because of cramps and the flow of the game. Bukayo showed he was a key player, that was never a doubt. I was not even aware he had a hat-trick. I lost the overview of the goalscorers.”

Broken Hearts, One Night Later

England assistant head coach Anthony Barry gave an emotional interview at halftime that captured what the tournament had cost the squad after the Argentina exit. “Have to be honest, there’s no frustration they could not perform like this against Argentina. I’m a little bit emotional, I can’t find the words about how proud I am of those players. We’re playing a game with broken hearts, eleven lads with broken hearts,” Barry said. “I’ve seen them in the hotel in the last few days with broken hearts. They can build a performance like that by playing through pride for England. The team spirit we’ve built in the last seven weeks. The cynics will say it’s too late, but we still play against a world-class opponent and I’m so proud of the boys.”

Sky Sports News reporter Rob Dorsett, watching from Miami, put the match in a historical context few England bronze medal wins have earned. “Who said these bronze medal matches were a waste of time? That was one of the most ridiculous, exciting, open and thrilling games I can ever remember for an England team,” Dorsett said. He noted that Saka “becomes only the fourth Englishman ever to score a World Cup hat-trick, and England scored six,” while acknowledging the obvious tension in the result. “Of course, it will anger many, rightly, that Saka and Marcus Rashford were outstanding against France when they were ignored in the semi-final. Of course, the damnation of Tuchel’s tactics when it really mattered still stands. But let’s just enjoy this one, eh?”

What Comes Next for England

Saka addressed the noise around his manager directly when asked about it after the game. “It’s part of the game. When you lose, there’s always going to be noise. When you win, there’s always going to be noise. It’s how you react to it and use it as fuel. Today we had to finish strong,” he said.

Tuchel’s name being cheered rather than booed by full time will offer him some encouragement heading toward a home European Championship in 2028, a tournament where France are set to be led by Zinedine Zidane. For Saka, the bronze medal ends a tournament in which he scored three goals and provided three assists while starting only from the quarter-finals onward, and it leaves an unavoidable question over the semi-final team sheet that will follow Tuchel into his next major selection.

England’s front line for the France game paired Saka with Rashford, Bellingham and Kane, and it was that combination, rather than the more cautious setup used against Argentina, that produced the goals. Rashford’s driving run created Saka’s first, and Bellingham came off the bench to score the winner after Saka’s penalty had already put England back in front. It was the kind of collective attacking performance supporters had wanted to see three days earlier, and one that arrived a match too late to change the outcome that mattered most.

Spain and Argentina will play for the trophy England’s bronze medal match could not deliver, and Tuchel’s players will watch it knowing exactly how close they came to being involved themselves. For now, the manager has a medal, a squad that fought back from the lowest point of the tournament, and a winger who made his point in the only way available to him.