France is through to the quarterfinals of the World Cup after beating Poland 3-1 in Doha.
Goals from Oliver Giroud and a marvelous brace from Kylian Mbappe were enough to see the Poles off in what was a fine performance by the reigning champions.
France had a bit of luck taking the lead at half time, with Poland missing a couple of very presentable chances before Giroud scored to become France’s all-time goalscorer with two minutes remaining.
In the second half, the French tightened their grip on the game, controlling possession before the second goal ended any hope of a Polish comeback. However, he did get some late consolation through a Robert Lewandowski penalty on the last kick of the game.
Manchester United transfer target Kylian Mbappe once again demonstrated why he is considered one of the best in the world, in a display riddled with moments of his breakneck pace, balance and finishing ability.
It was Mbappé who slipped the ball past Giroud for France’s first goal before striking home the second killer with 15 minutes remaining. A shot into the top corner and out of the top drawer sealed Poland’s fate and put Mbappe to the top of the tournament’s goalscoring list.
If that wasn’t enough, Mbappe somehow made it through his first match. With little room to work just inside the Polish box, he blasted a shot into the far top corner of Wojciech Szczesny to seal his performance and underscore his outrageous skill.
A constant threat in every game he plays, if the striker left PSG there would be no club in the world that would not be desperate for him.
United’s Raphael Varane also completed his first 90 minutes of the tournament and appears to be back in full form by the end of the tournament.
It was Varane who had the first chance of the afternoon, heading wide from 6 meters with Le Blues starting brightly.
The United man was solid enough defensively and had to clear Jakub Kaminski’s shot off the line in the first half. Varane will be delighted with the minutes, but he will be a little frustrated to be deprived of France’s first clean sheet in the tournament by a late penalty.
United’s midfield summer target Adrien Rabiot also completed 90 minutes and added another strong performance to their impressive World Cup so far.
France will now play winners England and Senegal in what looks to be a delightful quarter-final on Saturday.
