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 record. The leading goalscorer in French men's national team history. He's surpassed Thierry Henry and put his name in the history books. Good for him.
His name will not be there for long, though. On the night when 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 provided Giroud with the assist for his record-breaking goal before scoring two stunners of his own in France's 3-1 win over Poland in the last 16 of the World Cup.
Mbappe actually broke a couple of records himself with his second-half strikes. He's the first Frenchman to score four goals at multiple World Cups, while he's also surpassed Pele for the most World Cup goals before the age of 24.
France will now face England or Senegal in the quarter-finals, and with Mbappe in this form, the defending champions will head into it in confident mood.
GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from the third knockout game at Qatar 2022…
Getty ImagesThe Winners
Olivier Giroud:
Say what you want, but you can't take this one away from Giroud. No man has scored more goals for France than the AC Milan striker. Not Thierry Henry, not Michel Platini, not David Trezeguet nor Antoine Griezmann. No one. Not even Mbappe, at least not yet. His goal here wasn't a stunner, although he has had a few of those in his day. A good finish, though, from an Mbappe assist as a lacklustre France team escaped the first half with a one-goal lead thanks to Giroud's effort. He now has 52 international goals to his name, one more than Henry. Few would suggest he's the same calibre of player, but the record books don't care about calibre; they care about goals. Giroud has more than any other France player and if things go right, he may be able to add a few more by the time his stay in Qatar is over.
Kylian Mbappe:
What else can you say? It's something new every game. For most of the match, this wasn't Mbappe's best performance. He was quiet for long stretches, and when he did pick up possession, he was a bit too eager to touch the ball into space that wasn't quite there. It was like he was trying to play too fast, simply because he usually can. His big moments came when he slowed the game down. His assist to Giroud was inch-perfect, putting the ball on a platter for one of the game's best finishers. And then his first goal saw Mbappe take his time before absolutely smashing the ball past Wojciech Szczesny, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way in the process. The third, though, was somehow the best of all. A horrible angle, in-form Szczesny in goal and Mbappe simply didn't care. He just looked up and placed a shot where no keeper in the world could save it. That's Mbappe, isn't it? A player that can dominate games with his speed, his skill or both. He's just so much better than anyone else out there right now. More records and more history are in his future. Good luck stopping him, whoever's next!
Jules Kounde:
We'll start with the chain because, how couldn't you? World Cup last-16 match, biggest game of his life, and Jules Kounde wanted to show off. Good for him. The chain came off in the 41st minute when the referee finally noticed, but Kounde's performance never slowed down. Playing as a right-back, the Barcelona defender basically stays at home and completes a back three. It's a role that seemingly fits this team perfectly, with Theo Hernandez given the freedom to join the attack on the left when opposition defenders inevitably get toasted by Mbappe. Kounde, who mostly plays centrally at club level, hasn't put a foot wrong. He started their second game, a win over Denmark, and has seemingly now locked down that right-back spot ahead of Benjamin Pavard.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe Losers
Robert Lewandowski:
The definition of being starved of service. It's been a theme for this Poland team, the inability to get going in the attack, and you saw it again on Sunday. In Lewandowski, they have the best striker of a generation, but have no way to get him into the game. He created virtually nothing from open play, mostly because none of his team-mates could get him the ball anywhere near the box. The Barcelona star dropped deeper and deeper, but it was no use. Poland may have a star striker, but they have no clue how to get the best out of him. He got his goal in the end from the penalty spot, but even that was made difficult after an initial attempt was saved by Hugo Lloris. Overall, Lewandowski will no doubt be frustrated by it all as he didn't have the impact a player of his calibre should at a tournament like this.
Anyone in Mbappe's path
Imagine having to face THAT in a World Cup. What can you even do about Mbappe? Nothing, most likely. When a player is in this sort of form and has this sort of skill, there's nothing to do. England or Senegal are next, good luck to them. Both are good teams, and both should feel great about how they performed in the group stage. Stopping this France team, though, may not be possible. Mbappe is a big part of it, for sure, but it's not just him. They come in waves that don't ever stop. France will face better teams than Poland and, at some point, may just have to sweat one out. It'll take a lot for any team to actually beat them, though. Mbappe and co. are just different. This group has won it once before and, with Mbappe leading the way, they'll feel pretty damn good about their chances of winning it again.
Getty ImagesFrance Ratings: Defence
Hugo Lloris (6/10):
Huge save on Poland's best chance, but was sloppy. Still some concerns that he'll be punished one day.
Jules Kounde (7/10):
Good game at right back. Gets a bonus point for wearing a chain for 41 minutes, but loses that bonus point for getting caught!
Dayot Upamecano (6/10):
Didn't have to deal with much.
Raphael Varane (7/10):
A vital clearance off the line that prevented Poland from a stunning opener. Did well to help keep track of Lewandowski
Theo Hernandez (7/10):
Very good on the left-hand side. Wasn't asked to do too much defensively.
Getty ImagesMidfield
Aurelien Tchouameni (7/10):
Was pretty good up until his yellow card. Subbed off to avoid anything silly.
Adrien Rabiot (7/10):
Rock solid once again. A totally different player this year.
Antoine Greizmann (6/10):
Helped spring Mbappe's first goal, but not dangerous.