A brilliant double from Kylian Mbappe on Sunday fired France into the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals as England romped past Senegal to set up a mouthwatering last-eight showdown with Les Bleus.
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Mbappe rifled home two blistering second-half strikes as France cruised to a 3-1 victory over Poland.
Veteran striker Olivier Giroud opened the scoring for the defending champions, writing himself into the history books with his 52nd international goal to pass Thierry Henry as France’s all-time leading scorer.
Photo: Reuters
However, the undisputed star of France’s win at the Al-Thumama Stadium in Doha was 23-year-old Mbappe, who took his career World Cup goal tally to nine in two tournaments.
“It wasn’t easy, because Poland were well organized and tried to counter us,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “Then there is Kylian with his ability to resolve all sorts of problems, and that’s just as well for us.”
“This team has been united from the beginning, and obviously a result like this one confirms that. The joy is shared among everyone,” Deschamps said.
Poland’s lone goal came from the penalty spot deep into stoppage time.
Striker Robert Lewandowski converted a retaken spot-kick that was awarded for a handball by Dayot Upamecano.
France are 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.
However, their route to the final now includes an increasingly confident England, who powered into the last eight with an impressive win over Senegal at the Al-Bayt Stadium on Sunday.
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