Bellingham breaks England World Cup goals record

Jude Bellingham made history on Saturday by becoming the first English player to score seven goals in a single World Cup tournament. He achieved the feat in the third-place play-off, where England defeated France 6-4.

The Real Madrid midfielder came on as a substitute in the 79th minute and scored with the last kick of the game. He led a counter-attack from the halfway line, beat a defender, and slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

The previous record was held by Gary Lineker, who scored six times at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, and Harry Kane, who netted six in Russia 2018 and also six in this tournament. Bellingham, aged 23, now stands alone at the top.

Former England midfielder Danny Murphy, commentating on BBC One, said: "He has such confidence in his own ability. The patience, the skill, the shot. What a goal from England's best player."

Twelve minutes before his goal, Bellingham was poised to take a penalty but instead handed the ball to Bukayo Saka, who converted to complete his hat-trick. After the match, Saka told BBC One: "No, Jude was never taking it. 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."