In the 52nd minute, with the score at 0-0, the referee consulted VAR after a foul by Dayot Upamecano inside the penalty area. As all eyes were on referee Slavko Vincic, Mbappe quietly approached the area near goalkeeper Mike Maignan. He used his shoe to scrape the pitch around the 11-meter spot. After the match, the France captain explained his actions on TF1.

"Actually, no one was standing around the penalty spot then, and since I've taken many penalties, I generally know where to place my standing foot", Mbappe said playfully, smiling. "If the Ukraine player slipped a little, it would have been good for our team. But in the end, there was no penalty. It was a bit of mischief, like a rat digging. Before talking to Maignan, I just wanted him to have every advantage against the opponent."

Mbappe used his shoe to damage the pitch around the penalty spot during the match against Ukraine on 13/11.

In the situation where Mbappe was concerned about France conceding a penalty, Upamecano challenged Yehor Nazaryna inside the box. The French defender's slightly high foot initially went unnoticed by the referee. However, video assistants suggested the play warranted a review. The referee stopped the match and went to the screen near the tunnel at Parc des Princes, watching VAR for a while before deciding not to award a penalty to Ukraine.

"Now everyone knows my trick. I guess I'll have to be a bit more discreet next time", Mbappe added, still with a bright smile.

Mbappe later relieved the pressure for his team by scoring a panenka-style penalty in the 55th minute, completely deceiving goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin. In the 83rd minute, the Real star collected the ball from a missed shot by Hugo Ekitike, then tapped it in from close range to make the score 3-0. Five minutes later, Mbappe played a one-two pass, assisting Ekitike to seal a 4-0 victory.

Mbappe celebrates a goal during France's 4-0 victory over Ukraine in a World Cup qualifier on the evening of 13/11, at Parc des Princes, Paris, France. Photo: LP

Mbappe's two goals and one assist helped France defeat Ukraine 4-0, securing their World Cup berth one match early. Mbappe and his teammates lead Group D of the European World Cup qualifiers with 13 points after five matches, six points ahead of Iceland and Ukraine. Azerbaijan is at the bottom of the group with one point.

In the final matchday, Ukraine and Iceland will face each other directly to determine second place and a play-off spot. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijan - France match will be a mere formality.

Vy Anh