France opened their World Cup qualifiers with a 2-0 win over Ukraine, as Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappé found the net.
Mbappé’s strike tied Thierry Henry on France’s all-time scoring chart.
France began their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Ukraine in Wroclaw, Poland, thanks to goals from Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappé.
Olise struck after just 10 minutes, finishing off a Bradley Barcola pass, while Mbappé sealed the win in the 82nd minute with a composed finish on the counterattack, assisted by his Real Madrid teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni.
Kylian Mbappé goal was his 51st for France, tying him with Thierry Henry on the all-time scoring chart, just behind Olivier Giroud’s 57.
Ukraine made a strong push after the hour mark, with Ivan Kalyuzhnyi denied by Ibrahima Konaté’s goal-line clearance and Illia Zabarnyi hitting the post. Nevertheless Mbappé’s late goal dashed any hopes of a comeback.
Liverpool forward Hugo Ekitiké made his France debut as a late substitute. Didier Deschamps praised the side’s attacking quality, noting the importance of starting the campaign strongly.
Mbappé echoed the sentiment, admitting he missed chances but calling” it “a good, solid” art.” France now hosts Iceland in Paris on Tuesday, while Ukraine heads to Baku to face Azerbaijan.
Meanwhile, Italy marked Genoa’s managerial debut with a resounding 5-0 win over Estonia in Bergamo. After being frustrated for nearly an hour, Italy finally broke through when Moise Kean scored from close range. Mateo Retegui, Giacomo Raspadori, and Alessandro Bastoni added further goals, with Retegui bagging a brace.
The emphatic win eased the pressure on Gattuso, whose team had lost to Norway in June, a defeat that cost Luciano Spalletti his job. Italy now sits third in Group I with six points from three matches and faces a crucial test against Israel in Hungary on Monday.
Elsewhere, Slovenia held Sweden to a 2-2 draw after a late equaliser from Zan Vipotnik, Switzerland beat Kosovo 4-0, Greece dismantled Belarus 5-1, and the Czech Republic remained top of Group L with a 2-0 win over Montenegro.
Morocco has become the first African team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after defeating Niger 5-0 in Rabat, maintaining their perfect qualifying record.
