The veteran striker usurped Thierry Henry as Les Bleus’ record goalscorer against Poland, but it was his fellow forward who stole the show.
Olivier Giroud has his own record. The leading scorer in French men’s national team history. He has overtaken Thierry Henry in the history books. Good for him.
His name wouldn’t last long though. On the night Giroud sealed his place in history, Kylian Mbappe reminded the world that it won’t be long before he breaks that record – and many more.
Mbappe assisted Giroud for his record goal before scoring two stunners of his own as France beat Poland 3-1 in the last 16 of the World Cup.
Mbappe actually broke a few records himself with his second-half strike. He is the first French player to score four goals in as many World Cups, while he also surpassed Pele for scoring the most goals in World Cups before the age of 24.
France will now play either England or Senegal in the quarter-finals and Mbappe’s form will see the defending champions enter in a confident mood.
GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from the third knockout match in Qatar 2022
The winners
Olivier Giroud:
Say what you want, but you can’t take it away from Giroud. No one has scored more goals for France than the AC Milan striker. Neither Thierry Henry, nor Michel Platini, nor David Trezeguet nor Antoine Griezmann. Nobody is. Not even Mbappe, at least not yet. His goals here were not surprising, although he had a few of them in his day. However, despite a good performance from Mbappe’s assist, Giroud’s effort saw the French side hold on to a one-goal lead in the first half. He now has 52 international goals to his name, one more than Henry. Few would suggest he is the same caliber player, but the record books don’t care about caliber; They care about goals. Giroud has more than any other player in France and if things go well, he might be able to add some more when his stay in Qatar ends.
Kylian Mbappe:
What else can be said? It’s something new in every game. For most of the game, this was not Mbappe’s best performance. He was quiet for long periods, and when he did take possession, he was a little too eager to touch the ball in space that wasn’t there. It was like he was trying to play too fast, just because he usually could. His big moment came when he slowed down the game. His assist to Giroud was inch-perfect, putting the ball on the platter for one of the best finishes of the game. And then his first goal saw Mbappe take his time before perfectly hitting the ball past Wojciech Szczesny, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way in the process. The third, though, was somehow the best. A terrible angle, in-form Szczesny in goal and Mbappe just didn’t care. He just looked up and put in a shot that no defender in the world could save. That’s Mbappe, isn’t it? A player who can dominate sports with his speed, his skill or both. He’s so much better than anyone else out there right now. More records and more history are in his future. Good luck stopping him, whoever is behind!
Jules Counde:
We’ll start with the chain because, how could you not? The last 16 of the World Cup, was the biggest game of his life and he wanted to show Jules Conde. Good for him. The chain came off in the 41st minute when the referee finally noticed, but Kaunde’s performance never slowed down. Playing as a right-back, the Barcelona defender basically stays at home and completes the back three. It’s a role that seems perfectly suited to this team, given Theo Hernandez the freedom to join the attack on the left side when opposition defenders are essentially toasted by Mbappe. Kaunde, who often plays centrally at club level, hasn’t put a foot wrong. He started his second game, winning against Denmark, and now looks set to lock down that right-back spot ahead of Benjamin Pavard.
The Losers
Robert Lewandowski:
Definition of being hungry for service. This is a theme for the Poland team, the inability to go on the attack, and you saw it again on Sunday. In Lewandowski, they have the best striker of a generation, but there is no way to get him into the game. He could create virtually nothing from open play, mostly because none of his teammates could get him the ball on the edge of the box. The Barcelona star fell deeper and deeper, but it was no use. Poland may have a star striker, but they don’t know how to get the best out of him. He eventually scored from the penalty spot but that too was difficult after Hugo Lloris saved an early effort. All in all, Lewandowski will undoubtedly be disappointed by it all as he hasn’t had the impact a player of his caliber should have in a tournament like this.
Anyone in the way of Mbappe
Imagine facing that in the World Cup. What can you do about Mbappe? Nothing, most likely. When a player is in this kind of form and has this kind of skill, there is nothing to do. Then there’s England or Senegal, good luck to them. Both are good teams, and both should feel good about how they performed in the group stage. Stopping this France team, however, may not be possible. Mbappe is a big part of it, for sure, but it’s not just him. They come in waves that never stop. France will face better teams than Poland and, at times, may just be a sweat out. It will take a lot for any team to actually beat them, though. Mbappe and co. They are just different. This group has won it once before and, with Mbappe leading the way, they will feel pretty good about their chances of winning it again.
France Ratings: Defence
Hugo Lloris (6/10):
Great save in Poland’s best chance, but wasted. He still worries that he will be punished one day.
Jules Counde (7/10):
Good game at right back. Gets a bonus point for wearing a chain for 41 minutes, but loses that bonus point for being caught!
Dayot Upamecano (6/10):
Didn’t have to suffer much.
Raphael Varane (7/10):
A crucial clearance from the line saved Poland from a spectacular opener. Well done to help keep track of Lewandowski
Theo Hernandez (7/10):
Very good on the left side. Wasn’t asked to be too defensive.
Midfield
Aurelien Tchouameni (7/10):
He was very good until the yellow card. It was excused to avoid any stupidity.
Adrien Rabiot (7/10):
Rock solid once again. A completely different player this year.
Antoine Griezmann (6/10):
Vasant assisted Mbappe’s first goal, but was not dangerous.
Attack
Ousmane Dembele (7/10):
With the attack focusing more often than not on Mbappe’s side and Kaunde staying at home, Dembele was often on the island. He was fine with it as he regularly dribbled into good positions.
Olivier Giroud (7/10):
France’s leading man did it again. He has done it more than anyone else. A worthy record-holder… for now.
Kylian Mbappe (8/10):
Three moments to change the game. The assist was excellent, the first goal was good and the second was even better. Can anyone in the world stop this?!?
Membership and management
Yusuf Fofana (6/10):
Tchouameni came to relocate. Not perfect, but no big drop off.
Kingsley Coman (N/A):
Added some fresh legs for Dembele of late.
Marcus Thuram (N/A):
Mbappe would get an assist for the second goal but, to be honest, he didn’t need to do much.
Axel Dicey (N/A):
A few minutes late.
Didier Deschamps (8/10):
Considering the wealth of talent is the easiest job in football, but he has made the right calls on who to play and when.