Mbappe brace leads France

FRANCE beat Ukraine 4-0 on Thursday night to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup football finals.

Kylian Mbappe scored twice while Michael Olise and Hugo Ekitike were also on target to give the two-time world champions a comfortable win and an unassailable lead at the top of their qualifying group with one game still to play.

Mbappe then struck again and Ekitike swept in a first goal for his country as France got the win they required to clinch their spot at the 2026 finals in North America. A minute’s silence was impeccably observed ahead of kick-off by the 41 000 spectators as France marked the 10th anniversary of the attacks in and around Paris on Friday, November 13, 2015.

Most of the 130 people killed in the attacks lost their lives at the Bataclan concert hall in the capital, where they were attending a concert.

But one person died near the Stade de France in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, where multiple explosions took place as suicide bombers attempted to enter the ground during a friendly between Les Bleus and Germany.

Didier Deschamps was the coach then and remains in charge now, with the approaching World Cup to be his final tournament before stepping down.

With one game still to come in Azerbaijan tomorrow, France have an unassailable six-point lead over both Iceland and Ukraine at the top of European qualifying Group D.

Winners of the World Cup in 2018 and runners-up in 2022, France maintain their record of having made it to every edition of the tournament since missing out on a place in the United States in 1994.

While they can look forward to the draw for the finals, which takes place in Washington, DC, on December 5, Ukraine and Iceland meet each other tomorrow in a shootout to decide who continues on into the playoffs next March. France’s only slip-up in qualifying came in a draw in Iceland last month, although they have rarely found their fluid best during a low-key campaign.

Mbappe and Olise were in fine fettle here at Paris Saint-Germain’s home ground, though, while Bradley Barcola came closest to scoring in the first half with a curling effort from outside the area that was tipped onto the woodwork and behind for a corner.

Real Madrid superstar Mbappe, the France captain, then chipped in from the spot to open the scoring early in the second half after Olise had been fouled inside the area.

Olise, of Bayern Munich, really came into his own after being shifted from the right to a more central role. — AFP Sport