DOHA – A brilliant double from Kylian Mbappe fired holders France into the World Cup quarterfinals on Sunday, Dec. 4.
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Mbappe rifled home two blistering second-half strikes as France romped to a 3-1 victory over Poland.
Veteran striker Olivier Giroud opened the scoring for Les Bleus with his 52nd international goal to pass Thierry Henry as France’s all-time leading scorer.
But the undisputed star of the show at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha was the 23-year-old Mbappe, who took his career World Cup goals tally to nine in two tournaments.
Poland’s lone strike came from the penalty spot deep into stoppage time, with striker Robert Lewandowski converting a retaken spot-kick that was awarded for handball by Dayot Upamecano.
France is bidding to become the first team to win successive World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 after winning Group D in Qatar.
With Mbappe in blistering form, few would bet against France completing their quest for a third World Cup crown to set alongside their titles in 1998 and 2018.
France, meanwhile, will face England in the quarterfinals. The latter beat Senegal, 3-0, in the knockout stage.
England reached the World Cup semifinals four years ago and finished runners-up at Euro 2020, and got off to a fine start in Qatar by winning Group B. (Agence France-Presse)
