Christian football players from England and France shared a group prayer after an exhilarating third-place playoff, which saw England score its best World Cup result since 1966.

England beat France 6-4, with a hat-trick from Christian forward Bukayo Saka.

The game kicked off amid low spirits for both teams, who had lost out on a place in the final.

But the sting from Wednesday’s loss against Argentina soon faded for England, who finished the first half with a 4-0 lead.

Two goals from Kylian Mbappé in the second half saw him become the World Cup's all-time leading scorer. With 22 goals, he is just one ahead of Lionel Messi, who will no doubt look to beat him during Sunday’s final.

England were able to end on a high, as Saka’s third goal came in an 87th-minute penalty. It was a much-needed moment of joy for the Christian forward, who has expressed frustration at having been benched for much of the tournament, including the semi-final against Argentina.

Another record was broken for Jude Bellingham, whose 98th minute goal – and seventh of this tournament – made him the highest-scoring England player in a World Cup.

Seven players from both teams ended the evening by huddling together in prayer. France's Upamecano, Lacroix, Mateta and Chalobah wrapped their arms around Saka, Guehi and Eze, for a final prayer of the tournament. 

The organisation Christians in Sport told Premier Christian Radio that it is hopeful faith will continue to shape football into the next Premier League season, as it found three in four professional teams in England have Christian players in their first team squads.