However, to repeat as champions, France will need more of what Mbappé did on Sunday. As Poland began to tire chasing him in the second half, Mbappe fired a shot into the left corner for a 2-0 lead over France in the 74th minute. It was his eighth career World Cup goal, passing Pele for most of the tournament before the age of 24. Mbappé did not stop there; he added a third French goal in the first minute of stoppage time, his fifth in the World Cup lead. This put him in first position for the tournament awards for best player and top scorer.
“I came here to win the World Cup, not the Ballon d’Or or the Golden Boot,” he said.
Sunday brought the kind of result expected from France. Even with a slew of injuries to key players – such as World Player of the Year Karim Benzema, defender Lucas Hernandez and midfielders N’Golo Kanté and Paul Pogba – France remained one of the favorites of the title. They had few problems in the group stage, losing their last game against Tunisia after already earning a place in the knockout stage and resting many starters.
Poland, on the other hand, narrowly survived the group stage to reach the knockout stages for the first time since 1986. While they had been criticized for being too defensive and conservative despite possessing star striker Robert Lewandowski, Poland surprised France in a hard-fought first half with a more aggressive attack.
With France sometimes stumbling defensively, the teams traded pressure moments and missed chances until Giroud broke through towards the end of the first half. He received a pass at the edge of the penalty area from Mbappé, which drew Poland’s attention, then fired a left-footed shot across his body past Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
Then in the second half, France escaped as Mbappé returned to play. In the 74th minute, he and striker Ousmane Dembélé raced down the field after a Polish turnover, Dembélé sending a long cross to Mbappé. Unmarked on the left side of the penalty area, Mbappé stopped, collected himself and drilled a shot into the net for a 2-0 lead.
“No coach knows a recipe for stopping Mbappé in the form he is in right now,” Polish coach Czeslaw Michniewicz said through an interpreter. After mentioning other stars such as Ronaldo, Messi and Lewandowski, Michniewicz said Mbappé would be “the one to take over” the sport.
Even with a comfortable lead, Mbappé continued to attack. Shortly after the start of stoppage time, he curled a shot from the edge of the penalty area into the top right corner for his second goal of the game and then celebrated.
#Mbappé #France #statement #extend #title #defense
