Just as it has throughout much of the World Cup so far, France cruised past its opposition with a 3–1 win against Poland in the round of 16 as it looks to become the first team since Brazil in 1958 and ’62 to win back-to-back World Cup titles.
By advancing to the round of 16, Les Bleus broke a curse of three straight reigning world champions that failed to make it out of the group stage at the following World Cup. Then on Sunday it showed the killer instinct that it often lacked in the group stage and at times during its 2018 run—and it was none other than Kylian Mbappé who led the charge.
While Olivier Giroud made headlines for becoming France’s all-time leading men’s goalscorer, surpassing Thierry Henry’s mark of 51 goals, Mbappé stole the show with two goals of his own. The PSG superstar entered the game tied for the Golden Boot lead in Qatar and now leads the race after scoring his fourth and fifth goals of the tournament.
