Our 3️⃣ points after magic Mbappé smashes France into World Cup quarters | OneFootball

Kylian Mbappé and Olivier Giroud guided France past Poland and into the World Cup quarter-finals.

Here are our main takeaways from the Al Thumama Stadium.

The future is now

He had already announced himself to the world but tonight Kylian Mbappé ensured you will never forget his name.

With two blistering strikes of that magical right-foot, France’s main man blasted the ball into the back of the net and sealed his country’s place in the last-eight.

Mbappé being good at football isn’t new information. However, now the eyes of the world get to witness his skills, bask in his brilliance and be left open-mouthed at his ability to make the hardest job in football look like a stroll in a park situated in a leafy Paris suburb.

He was the difference-maker tonight. France deserved to be more than one goal up but heading into the final quarter of the match the tie was in the balance and Poland smelt blood.

But when the French number 10 received the ball in the box with space in the 75th minute there was only one outcome. An exquisite finish then was followed by a piledriver in the 91st minute as ‘Allez les Bleus’ rang out and the holders began to dream of retaining their crown.

With Mbappé in their team those dreams have submerged into reality.

Their superstar of the future is the superstar now. The 23-year-old has now surpassed Pele for most goals scored at a World Cup finals before reaching 24 with nine.

That total means he has also scored more goals at the tournament than Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Maradona, while also leaving him on the same total as a certain Lionel Messi.

Mbappé had already written himself into World Cup history. He could just be about to define it.

What could’ve been

The story of this game ended up being about Mbappé and France but Poland boss Czesław Michniewicz will be left wondering what might’ve been.

His team spurned two golden chances in the 38th minute when Bartosz Bereszyński’s cut-back in the box landed at the feet at a player who has scored six times for Napoli this season, but somehow Piotr Zieliński saw his effort denied courtesy of a stunning save from Hugo Lloris.

The danger wasn’t over as the rebound fell at the feet of Jakub Kaminski who directed an effort at goal only for Raphaël Varane to clear off the line.

Football is decided by the slimmest of margins and with the game goalless at the stage the shape of the fixture could’ve been completely different had Poland taken this chances.

Instead they will be heading home rueing their missed opportunities.

Giroud’s record-breaking night

In all the commotion, it was almost forgotten that Olivier Giroud made French history tonight.

The 36-year-old’s goal in the 44th minute meant that he became the top goalscorer for the national team with 52 strikes, overtaking Thierry Henry.

The Milan man had earlier missed an open goal but didn’t let that affect him, sweeping the ball into the bottom corner with a exquisite left-footed effort after being played in by Mbappé.

He was then denied what surely would’ve been goal of the tournament after finishing with a bicycle kick before seeing the strike ruled out after a contentious, apparent foul on Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny.

It’s testament to France’s embarrassment of riches that they lost a striker who won the Ballon d’Or before the tournament in Karim Benzema and have replaced him with their record goalscorer and a player who knits their unbelievable attack together.

Not bad for a player who made his first international appearance at the age of 25.