In the 82nd minute, Aurelien Tchouameni's one-touch long pass sent Mbappe clear. In a one-on-one situation, the 26-year-old forward cut inside past the Ukrainian defender, entered the penalty area, and finished with his right foot, beating goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.
This was Mbappe's 51st goal for the French national team, equaling the record held by Thierry Henry and leaving him just 6 goals shy of Olivier Giroud's all-time record.
"I want to pay tribute to Titi (Henry's nickname). But now, I want to surpass him," Mbappe said after the match at the Miejski Stadium in Poland. "However, matching Henry's achievement is an honor."
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Kylian Mbappe celebrates his goal that sealed France's 2-0 victory over Ukraine in their first Group D match of the 2026 World Cup European qualifiers on 5/9. Photo: AFP |
Kylian Mbappe celebrates his goal that sealed France's 2-0 victory over Ukraine in their first Group D match of the 2026 World Cup European qualifiers on 5/9. Photo: AFP
France took the lead in the 11th minute thanks to Michael Olise's angled shot. They then controlled the game but missed several opportunities to finish off their opponents. It wasn't until Mbappe's brilliant solo effort that France secured all three points.
In the other Group D match, Iceland crushed Azerbaijan 5-0 to take the top spot. In the next round on 9/9, France will host Iceland, while Azerbaijan will face Ukraine.
In Group I, Italy had a resounding victory in Gennaro Gattuso's debut as head coach. They dominated Estonia in a 5-0 win, with goals from Moise Kean, Alessandro Bastoni, and a brace from Giacomo Raspadori.
This result puts Italy in third place with 6 points from three matches, behind Israel (9 points) and Norway (12 points), who have both played four matches. Italy will move into second place if they defeat Israel on 8/9.
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Coach Gennaro Gattuso acknowledges the crowd after Italy's 5-0 victory over Estonia at the Bergamo stadium in Italy on 5/9. Photo: AP |
Coach Gennaro Gattuso acknowledges the crowd after Italy's 5-0 victory over Estonia at the Bergamo stadium in Italy on 5/9. Photo: AP
The European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup are divided into two stages. In the group stage, 55 teams are divided into 12 groups: six groups of four teams and six groups of five teams. Teams play each other home and away. The winner of each group qualifies directly for the 2026 World Cup.
Then, 16 teams will compete for the remaining spots in the second stage. These teams will consist of the 12 group runners-up and the four best-performing teams from the Nations League who did not finish in the top two of their World Cup qualifying groups.
This stage is divided into four paths. Each path consists of two single-leg matches: a semi-final and a final. In the semi-finals, the seeded team plays at home, while the venue for the final is determined by a draw. The four winners of the four paths will qualify for the World Cup, bringing the total number of European representatives to 16.
Hong Duy
