France vs Poland – 3-1 Win. In the match against Poland, the seasoned forward replaced Thierry Henry as the Les Bleus’ all-time leading scorer, but it was his teammate who stole the show. The record belongs to Olivier Giroud. the top scorer in men’s national team history for France. He has overtaken Thierry Henry and cemented his place in history. Well done, he.
But his name won’t be there for long. On the night when Giroud cemented his place in history, Kylian Mbappe served as a warning to everyone that he will soon surpass that record and many others. Giroud’s record-breaking goal was assisted by Mbappe, who then scored two incredible goals of his own in France’s 3-1 victory over Poland in the World Cup’s round of 16.
Mbappe’s goals in the second half set a few records for himself. He has surpassed Pele in terms of the most World Cup goals scored before the age of 24 and is the first Frenchman to score four goals at consecutive World Cups. With Mbappe in this form, France, the defending champions, will go into their quarterfinal matchup against England or Senegal in a confident frame of mind.
The Performing Side:
Olivier Giroud:
You may say whatever you want, but Giroud can’t lose this one. The AC Milan striker holds the record for most goals scored for France. Not Antoine Griezmann, David Trezeguet, Michel Platini, Thierry Henry, or David Trezeguet. No one. At least not yet, not even Mbappe. Although he has pulled off a few of those in his time, his objective here wasn’t to stun. However, a strong finish from a Mbappe pass helped a lackluster France team leave the first half with a lead after Giroud’s goal.
He has now tallied 52 goals internationally, one more than Henry. Few would argue that he is a player of the same caliber, but goals, not caliber, matter more in the record books. Giroud is the only French player with more, and if everything goes according to plan, he might be able to add a few more before his time in Qatar is out.
Kylian Mbappe:
For the majority of the game, Mbappe’s performance wasn’t his greatest. He remained silent for protracted periods, and when he did regain control of the ball, he was a little too eager to touch it into an incomplete space. It appeared as though he was attempting to play too quickly just because he can generally. When he slowed down the game, he had his biggest moments. With an inch-perfect pass to Giroud, he provided one of the game’s top finishers with the ball. Mbappe then took his time before absolutely blasting the ball past Wojciech Szczesny for his debut goal, fooling the keeper in the process.
However, the third was in a way the best. A terrible angle, Szczesny was in top form in the net, and Mbappe simply didn’t give a damn. He simply raised his head and fired a shot that no goalkeeper in the world could stop. Isn’t that Mbappe there? a player who can win games with speed, talent, or both. He simply outperforms everyone else at the moment. His future holds more accomplishments and greater history. Whoever is next, good luck trying to stop him!
Jules Kounde:
How could you not start with the chain, right? Jules Kounde wanted to brag during the biggest game of his life—the World Cup last-16 encounter. Well done, he. When the referee finally saw the chain was gone in the 41st minute, Kounde’s performance didn’t slow down. The Barcelona defender, who lines up as a right-back, essentially stays put and completes a back three.
Theo Hernandez is given the freedom to join the attack on the left when rival defenders invariably get toasted by Mbappe in this role, which appears to fit this team wonderfully. At the club level, Kounde typically plays in the center and hasn’t misplaced a step. He started their second game, a victory over Denmark, and appears to have now clinched Benjamin Pavard’s right-back position.
The Losing Side:
Robert Lewandowski:
a description of service starvation. The Poland team’s failure to launch an offensive has become a recurring issue, and you witnessed it once more on Sunday. They possess the best striker of the generation in Lewandowski, but they are unable to use him. He hardly produced anything from free play, primarily because none of his teammates could pass the ball to him anywhere near the penalty area. The Barcelona star fell more and further, but it was useless.
Although Poland may have a terrific striker, they have no idea how to maximize his potential. He ultimately scored from the penalty spot, but even that was challenging because Hugo Lloris had previously stopped an earlier attempt. Overall, Lewandowski will undoubtedly be disappointed by the whole thing because he didn’t make the kind of impression at this tournament that a player of his caliber ought to.
Mbappe’s rivals:
What even can you do to stop Mbappe? Most likely nothing. There is nothing to do when a player is in this kind of shape and possesses this kind of expertise. Good luck to Senegal or England, who will be playing next. Both are strong sides, and they both need to be pleased with how they fared in the group stage. However, stopping this France team might not be feasible. Mbappe undoubtedly plays a significant role, but others also play a role.
They arrive in never-ending waves. France will play better teams than Poland and might eventually have to endure a slog. However, it will take a lot for any side to defeat them. Simply said, Mbappe and the company are unique. With Mbappe leading the way, this team will feel pretty damn confident about their prospects of winning it again.
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