London: Tuchel discusses Saka’s role after World Cup hat-trick against France

By Hannah Whitfield · Sports Reporter · 19.07.2026

By Hannah Whitfield — 19 July 2026 — 3 min read

Saka’s Return to the Starting Lineup

Bukayo Saka delivered a notable performance for England in their World Cup bronze final match against France, scoring three goals in a 6-4 victory. This came after he was an unused substitute in the semi-final defeat to Argentina. Saka’s hat-trick contributed to England securing third place, marking their best finish since 1966.

Prior to the match against France, Saka had a reduced role in the tournament. He was not used in the semi-final against Argentina and was also dropped against DR Congo. However, he was reinstated against Mexico, where he provided a key assist in a 3-2 win.

Thomas Tuchel, England’s manager, commented on Saka’s performance, stating, “He did everything right.” Tuchel acknowledged Saka as a key player, adding, “There is never a doubt.” He also mentioned losing track of the goalscorers during the match, but described Saka’s hat-trick as “brilliant.”

The Decisive Penalty and Team Spirit

During the match against France, after Kylian Mbappe’s brace and Bradley Barcola’s goal had narrowed England’s lead, a penalty was awarded when Djed Spence was fouled by Malo Gusto. Jude Bellingham, who had come on as a second-half substitute, initially approached the ball but then handed it to Saka, allowing him to complete his hat-trick.

Saka later confirmed that Bellingham encouraged him to take the penalty. “No, Jude was never taking it,” Saka stated. “He was the first one to say go and get your hat-trick, so none of them came to distract me. I was always going to take it.” Bellingham also scored a solo goal in added time, contributing to England’s 6-4 win.

Saka reflected on the match, noting the team’s disappointment at not reaching the final but expressing satisfaction with finishing strongly. He observed that England performed well in the first half, while France had a strong second half, with England ultimately securing the win with two late goals.

Tuchel’s Future and Team’s Next Steps

Tuchel addressed questions about his future as England manager, stating that seeing the team fight with such determination gives him energy. He acknowledged that the pain of the semi-final defeat would linger but felt invigorated by the team’s performance. “We will still feel the pain when tomorrow is the final. This will take a while, but overall it gives me more energy than it takes from me,” he said.

Saka expressed support for Tuchel amidst discussions surrounding his tactics following the defeat to Argentina. He commented that external noise is part of the game and that the team’s reaction to it, using it as motivation, was crucial. “When you win there’s going to be noise, it’s how you react to it, how you use it as fuel and today we finished strong and that’s all we could really do and we did that,” Saka explained.

Tuchel also spoke about closing the gap to top teams like France, who were champions eight years ago and in the final four years ago. He described the victory over France as the first step in closing that gap, with the next challenge being Spain in the Nations League.

Saka had arrived at the tournament with an Achilles injury from the club season, which limited his starts to two games before the third-place play-off. Despite this, he indicated he was fit and would have preferred more playing time during the tournament.

Source: standard.co.uk

Hannah Whitfield

Sports Reporter

As Latest News UK's Sports Reporter, Hannah Whitfield reports on tennis, cricket and athletics for readers across the country. She built her name covering the county circuit and Team GB at two Commonwealth Games. She holds a degree in Sport and Media from Loughborough University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Hannah lives in Bristol, where she plays club tennis and coaches a junior side. “Sport is at its best when you let the athletes tell the story.”