The France striker Kylian Mbappe netted a goal against Poland, taking the lead in the World Cup goalscoring race staged in Qatar. His fifth finish at the tournament put him two goals ahead of his nearest rivals, while three players were tied just behind on three goals each: Lionel Messi, Alvaro Morata, Cody Gakpo, Olivier Giroud, Marcus Rashford, and Enner Valencia.
Olivier Giroud did the honors with the opening strike in the 44th minute, and Mbappe then boosted his side’s advantage with a second goal in the 74th minute, followed by a goal on the 91st minute to seal the deal. During stoppage time, the referee awarded France a penalty. Robert Lewandowski stepped up to take the spot kick, initially missing because the goalkeeper Hugo Lloris moved off his line. On the second attempt, Lewandowski managed to convert, finally finding the net.
As a result, the French team advanced to the quarter-finals, where they were set to face the winner of the matchup between England and Senegal.
On December 3, the round of 16 began at the World Championship. The opening day of the knockout stage featured teams from the Netherlands and the United States, as well as Argentina and Australia, all contending for a place in the later rounds.
Earlier reports noted that Mbappe had surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Maradona in World Cup goals.