Not even 24 hours have passed, but Kylian Mbappe has already equaled Lionel Messi’s achievement on Saturday. At the WC, both are now at 9 goals, except that the Frenchman is 11 and a half years younger than the Argentinean. He is the first in history to reach this number before his 24th birthday.
The miracle boy from Paris is currently the top scorer of the tournament in Qatar with a double in the match of the round of 16 against Poland (3:1), he has collected five goals (1 against Australia, 2 against Denmark) and also two assists. The Poles’ resistance was broken in the 44th minute when Mbappe passed Olivier Giroudand at 36 years and 65 days, he became the oldest scorer in the knockout stages of the World Cup after the Cameroonian To Roger Milla (age 38) against Colombia in the round of 16 in 1990.
The Milan striker was looking forward to an extraordinary milestone, as he is now alone at the top of the French national team’s all-time scorers list. With the 52nd goal, he overtook for the goal Thierry Henry.
Mbappe (who was measured at a top speed of 35 km/h during the match) is also the youngest player since Pele in 1958 to score five goals in the knockout stages of the World Cup. The Brazilian achieved this feat at the age of 17.
Giroud scored three goals in Qatar and none in Russia 2018, when France won the title. Due to injury Karim Benzema is now of course at the fore, but it is interesting that Mbappe has felt in the past that Giroud’s style of play might suit him better than Benzema’s.
“The adventure continues. My wife and children are here, and so are my childhood friends. Improve Titi’s achievement (Henry, op. a.) it’s like a childhood dream come true. Now that’s behind me, and I want to go as far as possible with this team.” Giroud, who played for France for the 117th time, was very pleased. He scored his first goal on February 29, 2012 in a friendly match against Germany.
“It wasn’t easy because Poland are a well-organized team. We had to change a few positions at half-time. France needed a great Mbappe and tonight they had him. Giroud is an amazing player. Many have criticized him, but he is a fighter and very useful for the team. We are united, we have been rewarded for our attitude today. Now we will spend some time with our families.” said the selector after qualifying for Saturday’s quarter-finals, in which the English are waiting for the French Didier Deschamps.
Last year at the Euro, they were eliminated in the round of 16
Although the French were vulnerable in defense at times, the Poles could have taken the lead in the 38th minute. On his 142nd appearance in the jersey Gaelic roostersequaling the record with Lilian Thuram, the keeper made a save after Piotr Zielinski’s shot Hugo Lloris. In the same action, another shot by Jakub Kaminski followed, the ball was stopped on the goal line by Raphael Varane.
“We fought, we created some chances, some good ones, especially in the first half. Unfortunately, the ball did not find its way into the net,” said the best Polish striker Robert Lewandowski.
The French then took the lead just before the end of the first half, and the game continued to follow rhythms Les Bleus. Last year, at the European Championship, after the round of 16, they were in a much worse mood, as they were eliminated by the Swiss after penalty kicks. A decisive shot from the penalty spot was shot by … Mbappe. This time, 3,000 French fans in the stands of the Al Tumama stadium were able to celebrate promotion while the Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny comforted his crying son.
Lewandowski too isolated in attack
“Progressing from the group was our main goal. We did it, but this time we faced the world champions. We believed until the end, and the third goal meant the end for us. Today we are sad and disappointed, but with time we will be on our way we looked at the performance from a different perspective. After weeks and months of work, we can proudly say that we have brought Poland to a place where it has not been in the last 36 years.” said the Polish coach Czeslaw Michniewicz. In 1986, the Poles were sent home in the round of 16 by the Brazilians (4:0), four years earlier, just like in 1974, they took third place.
Lewandowski, who has scored 18 goals in 19 games for Barcelona this season, found the net just twice in Qatar. He had little support from his teammates in Poland’s defense-oriented game with only one striker. “I can’t enjoy a game like this. We lacked a little more quality for something more,” was clear “Lewa”.
They made it to the round of 16 white-red ranked mainly thanks to the outstanding performances of Szczesny in the group stage of the World Cup, when he was the best goalkeeper with 18 saves. He collected nine of them during the defeat against Argentina (0:2), when he also saved an 11-meter penalty from Messi. 34-year-old Lewandowski and 32-year-old Szczesny probably played for the last time today World Cup.
sofascore.com” alt=”Graphics provided sofascore.com“>
Source: Rtvslo
