Mbappe back for France as Poland await

THERE is arguably no more thrilling player at this World Cup than Kylian Mbappe, who leads France into their last-16 clash today with a Poland side whose own hopes of pulling off a famous upset will depend to a large extent on Robert Lewandowski.

Mbappe, not 24 until later this month, has scored seven goals in 10 appearances at the World Cup. That tally includes one in the 2018 final when he was still a teenager as France beat Croatia in Moscow.

His mission now is to help his country become the first to retain the World Cup since Brazil, with an even-younger Pele, did so in 1962.

Mbappe has scored three times in Qatar, including a brace in a 2-1 victory against Denmark that secured qualification for the last 16 for Didier Deschamps’ side.

The situation is different to that of Paris Saint-Germain, where he shares the limelight with Lionel Messi and Neymar, and in that sense it may be that Karim Benzema’s withdrawal due to injury on the eve of the tournament does no harm to French hopes.

“Kylian has no ego,” insisted Deschamps a few days ago, going against the perception of Mbappe in the context of PSG.

“He is a decisive player for us and his performances put him in the spotlight. He is not 18 anymore. He has experience now.”

It wasn’t just Mbappe – who now has as many international goals as

Zinedine Zidane – that France missed as a second-string team lost 1-0 to Tunisia on Wednesday, a result that did not stop them topping their group.

He will be back along with the likes of Hugo Lloris, Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud as France and Poland meet at a major tournament for the first time since the 1982 World Cup.

Poland only just scraped through their group ahead of Mexico on goal difference and Lewandowski’s strike – his first World Cup goal – in the win over Saudi Arabia was therefore crucial.

“I’m aware it might be my last World Cup and I wanted to be able to say that I’ve played and scored at World Cups,” he said after that game.

The 34-year-old also got nine goals in qualifying and there is nobody else

quite on his level in Czeslaw Michniewicz’s squad.

Seeing Mbappe and Lewandowski together on the same pitch is a rare treat.

Two of the most prolific forwards in the modern game, they are nevertheless different types of striker – one all about explosive pace coming into the box from wide areas, and the other the ultimate penalty-box finisher now coming towards the end of his career.

Lewandowski left Bayern Munich for Barcelona in the last close season, but according to reports in France he might have ended up at PSG.

Le Parisien reported on Friday that PSG tried to convince Lewandowski to join them after tying Mbappe to a new contract in May.