Kylian Mbappe closes in on Thierry Henry & Olivier Giroud in France history books after dazzling display to take down Germany in Nations League third-place play-off

Mbappe was the star of the show as he opened the scoring and then set up Michael Olise to secure the win. Just before half-time, Aurelien Tchouameni floated a cross into the area, which Mbappe took down excellently before jinking away from the blocking defenders and firing past Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Chasing a late equaliser, the German defence made a mess of dealing with a cleared ball and allowed the France captain through for a free run at goal. Mbappe opted against adding to his opener and squared unselfishly to Olise to tap home and put the game out of Germany’s reach after 84 minutes.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Mbappe continues his fine run of form and showed why he is still the main man for France. He will be disappointed that his side were on the wrong end of the nine-goal thriller against Spain earlier in the week, but can take solace in Sunday’s performance. The game demonstrated the strength of Les Bleus’ attacking options with both Olise and Champions League final hero Desire Doue coming off the bench to complement Mbappe. France will be one of the firm favourites for next year’s World Cup if they qualify as expected.

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Making his 90th appearance for Les Bleus, Mbappe brought up his 50th goal at international level. The effort puts him one shy of Thierry Henry’s France total and just seven short of the all-time leading scorer Olivier Giroud, who netted 57 in 137 appearances. It appears inevitable that Mbappe will finish his career as the highest-scoring player in the history of the French men’s team.

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    WHAT NEXT FOR FRANCE & MBAPPE?

    France will begin their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign in September, with Group D fixtures against Ukraine and Iceland scheduled. For now, Mbappe will switch focus back to his duties with Real Madrid, who are gearing up for the FIFA Club World Cup and an opening game against Al-Hilal on Wednesday.

    Source Goal.com