PARIS, FRANCE— Star forward Kylian Mbappé had an amazing day for France on Friday. He scored a great solo goal and set up another goal to help Les Bleus beat Azerbaijan 3-0 in their World Cup qualifying match. France stays at the top of Group D with three wins in three games.
But there was a late injury worry involving Mbappé, who was already hurt before the game, which took some of the joy out of the win.
Mbappé’s Magic Ends the Stalemate
France controlled the game for most of it, but at first they had trouble turning their possession into clear chances. In the first half stoppage time, Mbappé made a brilliant play on his own that finally broke the tie.
The Real Madrid forward picked up the ball in the middle of the field and started an amazing slalom run, dribbling past several defenders before perfectly putting his shot into the bottom right corner of the net. This goal gives Mbappé an amazing 10-game scoring run for both club and country. The 26-year-old has now scored 53 goals for France, making him the second-highest scorer in the country’s history. He is only five goals behind Olivier Giroud for the top spot.
Worry About Injury Hangs Over Performance
Mbappé, who had been hurt in his right ankle before the game and was unsure whether he would play, showed his creative side in the second half by setting up France’s second goal. He sent a brilliantly lofted pass into the box for Adrien Rabiot to head home in the 69th minute.
Sadly, the pain in the ankle came back late in the game. Mbappé seemed to sprain the same ankle again after fighting for the ball with an opponent. He had to shuffle off the field and be replaced in the 83rd minute.
Florian Thauvin, who was called in late to replace him, made an immediate impact by adding to France’s lead just seconds after stepping on the field. Thauvin’s goal was his first for Les Bleus since he scored in his last international game six years ago.
Standings in Group D: France pulls ahead
France is in first place in Group D with nine points. Ukraine won a dramatic 5-3 game against Iceland away from home, coming back from a two-goal deficit. This put them on four points, five behind France. With three points, Iceland is in third place. Azerbaijan is at the bottom of the standings with only one point.
A summary of the European qualifying round
In the most recent round of World Cup qualifications, Europe’s biggest teams had uneven results:
Germany’s recovery in Group A: Germany came back from a loss last month with a decisive 4-0 win over Luxembourg, who only had 10 players after defender Dirk Carlson was sent off in the 20th minute. Germany got back on track thanks to two goals from Joshua Kimmich. Germany, Northern Ireland, and Slovakia are all tied for first place in Group A with six points each. However, Germany is in first place because they have a better goal difference after Northern Ireland beat Slovakia 2-0.
Group B leaders Switzerland kept up their perfect start by beating Sweden 2-0 away from home. The Swiss have won all three of their games so far and haven’t let in a single goal. Kosovo is now in second place in the group, five points behind Switzerland. They drew 0-0 with Slovenia.
Belgium’s Miss in Group J: Even though they had 25 shots on goal, Belgium, who were heavily favored, could only manage a 0-0 tie against North Macedonia. North Macedonia is now in first place in Group J, one point ahead of Belgium, who has played one fewer game. Wales is another point behind. Kazakhstan beat Liechtenstein 4-0 in the same group, but they are still six points behind the top.