Bukayo Saka dominated the headlines after a chaotic England display that defied straightforward analysis. Still, we’re diving into the player ratings regardless…

The Three Lions registered their second-best-ever World Cup finish with a 6-4 triumph over France, a wildly entertaining match that only reinforced how meaningless the so-called ‘bronze final’ truly feels.

France’s first-half performance was as lethargic as any seen at this level, allowing England to run riot. Only after a stern talking-to from Didier Deschamps did Les Bleus show some intent, coming close to matching England’s six-goal haul.

At half-time, fans and pundits alike were left exasperated — England had torn through France just days after their meek surrender to Argentina. Still, the two games couldn’t have been more different. It’s hard to know quite what to make of this one.

Here’s how England’s players fared on the night…

Dean Henderson made one excellent first-half save to deny Kylian Mbappe as the French star chased Golden Boot glory. The Crystal Palace goalkeeper, earning his sixth cap, initiated England’s third goal with a critical intervention — stepping off his near post to block Rayan Cherki’s fierce cross, sparking the counterattack that sent Marcus Rashford racing behind what was arguably the highest defensive line seen at this or any World Cup.

Henderson could do little about France’s four goals, producing a few routine stops as Didier Deschamps’ side created chances almost at will.

Back from suspension, Jarell Quansah largely contained Desire Doue — though the French winger barely put up resistance before being subbed off at half-time. Replacement Bradley Barcola proved a tougher test, burning past Quansah to help reduce England’s lead.

Ezri Konsa shrugged off Adrien Rabiot’s loose marking to head home his second England goal — one of the few moments he broke out of cruise control in the first half. His second half was less assured: he lost Mbappe for France’s first goal and was undone by the link-up between the record World Cup scorer and Michael Olise for the third.

Marc Guehi cruised through the opening 45 minutes and wasn’t directly at fault for any of France’s goals, though he also failed to prevent them. That rather sums up his curious World Cup — starting as third-choice centre-back and finishing as first-choice while still leaving doubts. As Gary Neville might put it, England’s best worst defender.

England’s breakout performer of the tournament, Rico Lewis, looked composed throughout. He capped his World Cup by winning a late penalty, providing England some much-needed breathing space as France surged forward.

Declan Rice, wearing the captain’s armband, opened the scoring early on — intercepting a poor pass from Doue and driving 30 yards unchallenged before firing past Mike Maignan. It highlighted both Rice’s sharpness and France’s apathy. He then provided an assist from what might have been his first decent corner since England’s opener against Croatia. By the end, Rice looked utterly exhausted — understandable given this was his 69th match of the 2025/26 season, logging 5,482 minutes in total.

Eberechi Eze operated at the base of midfield, enjoying a comfortable first half as France went through the motions. He created England’s fourth goal with a sharp turn and incisive pass to escape Warren Zaire-Emery, who seemed already mentally on holiday. Once France woke up, Eze faded out of the game.

Cole Palmer, the £117 million man, started in the No.10 role but failed to make a major impact despite France’s generous space. He looked livelier after switching to the left, combining with Djed Spence to win a penalty. It will be fascinating to see what Xabi Alonso plans for him next season.

With Saka starting alongside Rice, it’s fair to assume Thomas Tuchel’s relationship with Arsenal fans won’t improve anytime soon. Saka’s inclusion was curious — unfit for the semi-final but suddenly available for this dead rubber. Still, he made the most of it, bagging a hat-trick: two in the first half and a penalty late on. A light-hearted finish to what has been a tough tournament for the winger.

Marcus Rashford got 45 minutes in his 24th major tournament appearance — conveniently the half where France looked disinterested. He had an early effort blocked before sprinting through to set up Saka’s opener after wasting an earlier one-on-one with Maignan. Rashford also nearly produced the goal of the tournament, nutmegging Zaire-Emery before Maignan denied his dipping strike. The big question now: where does he go from here?

Ivan Toney, standing in for Harry Kane, missed his only clear chance before half-time after being teed up by Rashford — encapsulating the rust of a player who has looked stuck in exhibition-mode for two seasons.

Jack Grealish’s first contribution was losing the ball to Dayot Upamecano, triggering the move for Mbappe’s first goal. Compared to Rashford, he struggled to impact proceedings, especially once Malo Gusto began to assert himself down the flank.

Harry Kane should have scored within a minute of coming on but overcomplicated his finish against Maignan. He made amends in stoppage time, rounding the keeper to secure his record as England’s top scorer in a single tournament.

It was somewhat comical that Tuchel waited so long to reinforce his midfield as France piled forward late on.

Trent Alexander-Arnold had seven touches after coming on — none particularly memorable.

Trevon Chalobah’s brief cameo left Kobbie Mainoo as the only outfield player not to feature during the tournament. Chalobah still found time to be turned inside out by Ousmane Dembele.