MBAPPE AND THAUVIN STAR AS LES BLEUS CRUISE PAST AZERBAIJAN
France moved closer to automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup with a comfortable 3-0 win over Azerbaijan in Paris.
Kylian Mbappe scored his 53rd goal for Les Blues, moving him to within four of Olivier Giroud’s record, before Adrien Rabiot and substitute Florian Thauvin sealed victory in the second half.
France endured a frustrating first half, with Azerbaijan’s well-organised defence restricting them to very few chances – until Mbappe took matters into his own hands with a glorious solo goal on the stroke of half-time.
Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike, making his first start for France, hit the post just after the break before Rabiot headed Mbappe’s cross past Sahruddin Mehemmedeliyev in the 69th minute.
Mbappe went off as a precaution, to be replaced by Lens forward Thauvin, making his first appearance since 2019. It was a fairytale return: moments after coming on, Thauvin finished superbly from Theo Hernandez’s cross.
France have a five-point lead over Ukraine – who beat Iceland 5-3 in a thrilling game in Reykjavik – with three games remaining in Group D. They could seal qualification as early as Monday, when they play in Iceland and Ukraine meet Azerbaijan.
A likelier scenario is that they will have to wait until they host Ukraine in November. Either way, France, who last failed to qualify in 1994, are cruising towards an eighth straight World Cup finals appearance.
