World Cup Year, Kylian Mbappe Year Too

WROCLAW, FRIDAY — The victory of the French national team in the first match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers was delivered by the superstar Kylian Mbappe. Mbappe arrived with the highest motivation to return to showcase his talent in his favorite tournament, the World Cup.

A day before the match, Mbappe had just criticized the overly packed match schedule in the annual calendar. However, there was no sign of negativity from him at all when France won 2-0 against the host Ukraine in the Group D match at the Miejski Stadium, Wroclaw, Poland, on Saturday (6/9/2025).

Mbappe instead shone brightly by being named the best player. He was involved in a pair of goals for France, both with and without touching the ball. The visiting team had already taken the lead thanks to attacking midfielder Michael Olise in the 10th minute. Olise capitalized on a pass from winger Bradley Barcola in the penalty area.

Mbappe did not touch the ball at all during the process of the goal, but his role was significant. The Real Madrid player successfully drew the attention of the Ukrainian defenders. Three Ukrainian players focused on marking Mbappe, allowing Olise to be free.

As Ukraine began to threaten towards the end of the match, Mbappe sprang into action once again. The forward scored a goal through a rapid counter-attack. He outmaneuvered Paris Saint-Germain defender Illya Zabarnyi in a one-on-one duel, then executed the ball with a low shot into the corner of the net.

France convincingly ended Ukraine's resistance. At the same time, Mbappe recorded his 51st goal for the national team. This achievement places him alongside legendary striker Thierry Henry as the second-highest goalscorer in the history of "Les Bleus."

Mbappe arrived at the national team camp this time with a great ambition to lead France to direct qualification for the World Cup. This ambition was palpable through his comments after the match. Instead of being satisfied with his goal contribution and the first victory, he actually wanted more.

"We should have been able to score more goals. Including myself, as I missed several opportunities. So there is still room for improvement. But for a start, this is quite good," said Mbappe, who failed to extend the lead to 3-0 because his shot was too weak.

Not only with the national team, but thanks to the momentum of the World Cup year, the "fire" within Mbappe has also been felt alongside Madrid. He has scored three goals in the first three matches of La Liga. The 26-year-old forward has hit the ground running since the start of the season.

"I'm very happy to start a new season again. I'm coming with a lot of determination. It's been a good start, but it can still be better. It's been a great year for the club, the national team, and myself. I'm going to focus on one game at a time, not wanting to get ahead of myself," Mbappé told L'Equipe before the match.

As is known, recently the name Mbappe has become synonymous with the World Cup. He is the figure most closely associated with the most prestigious tournament on Earth. It is only natural, as Mbappe has led France to the finals in the last two editions, one of which concluded with a championship title.

Mbappé scored a total of 12 goals across the two editions. No other player has matched that record. His greatest performance came at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Mbappé scored eight goals in one edition, including a hat-trick in the final, although they failed to win the title.

Mbappe's role is more significant in the journey towards the third World Cup. From being a debutant in 2018 and a megastar in 2022, he has become the team's main leader. Mbappe has become one of the senior players as there are no longer veteran figures like Olivier Giroud or Antoine Griezmann.

French defender Jules Kounde stated that Mbappe is very helpful as a leader. "He is very attentive to his teammates, very open to discussion, and shares responsibilities. He creates a sense of mutual respect within the team. That role comes very naturally to him," he said.

On the other hand, France displayed many potential formations to facilitate Mbappe in the World Cup. Coach Didier Deschamps employed a 4-2-3-1 formation at the start of the match. Mbappe was supported by Barcola, Olise, and Doue in the second line. Their attack appeared fluid with a combination of short passes around the penalty area.

Doue was replaced by his PSG teammate, Ousmane Dembele, in the second half. Dembele did not have much action until he was eventually substituted due to injury. This moment was quite interesting as the player who came on was Liverpool forward Hugo Ekitike. France's formation changed to 4-4-2. Just a minute after Ekitike entered, France scored their second goal.

Deschamps is quite satisfied with the performance of his team, especially in the first half. "We dominated the first half and should have been ahead by more. We struggled a bit after that, but fortunately, we have so much quality in the attacking line," said the coach. (AP/AFP)