Kylian Mbappe draws Thierry Henry and Level with 51 goals for France in a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in the World Cup qualifiers.
Released on September 5th, 2025
France attacked Michael Ollise early, defeating Ukraine 2-0 and sealing the points on Killianmbappe’s breakaway to launch the World Cup qualifying campaign in style.
Mbappe’s 82-minute strike on Friday was set by his Real Madrid teammate Aurelien Tchouameni at the end of a quick counterattack, moving on to an international goal of 51, earning a level with Thierry Henry on the French all-time best scoring list behind Olivier Giroud (57).
Recommended Stories
List of 4 itemsEnd of the list
Later substitute Osmane Dembele, who had already missed training with thigh issues this week, exacerbated the same injury after replacing Desire Doue at that interval.
Doo had knocked on the right calf before halftime but was unable to continue. Dembele’s night ended early when he came out in the 81st minute, creating a path for Hugo Ekitike to win his first cap.
Rebrus dominated the opening half with a smooth 4-2-3-1 formation, and their pace and movements repeatedly pulled Ukraine apart.
Oris took the lead after 10 minutes and slid into the Brad Leaver Cora Pass, and goalkeeper Anatoly Trubin’s sharp reflection prevented further damage as he refused Olize’s second damage and later blocked Dembele after a defensive chow ameni tip.
Ukraine, who had threatened early by putting dangerous crosses in boxes, was revived an hour later. Ibrahima konate cleared the line from Ivan Kalisini before Iran Zabarni hit the post of Mike Meignan, temporarily holding the French backline under real pressure.
However, as Mbappe rushed to the clear and delivered the killer blow on a low drive, Deschamps’ side could see the closure times in comfort.
As a result, the 2018 world champion gave Group D’s early advantage over the toughest opponents. The group also includes Iceland and Azerbaijan.
France hosts Iceland, which destroyed Azerbaijan 5-0 in Paris on Tuesday, and Ukraine travels to Baku.
