Striker Kylian Mbappe played the savior as France closed in on qualification for next year’s World Cup with a poor 3-0 home win over Azerbaijan in the Group D qualifier on Friday.
The 26-year-old opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time, setting up Adrien Rabiot for the second, while substitute Florian Thauvin added a third, taking Les Bleus to nine points from three games and giving Didier Deschamps’ side the chance to qualify on Monday when they travel to Iceland.
France were missing a number of key players, with Paris Saint-Germain forwards Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola all sidelined through injury, but former PSG duo Mbappe and Rabiot got the job done despite a dismal first half.
Azerbaijan, which next plays Ukraine in second place (four points), remains bottom of the table with one point behind Iceland, which has three after three games.
Les Bleus extended their unbeaten run in World Cup and European Championship qualifiers to 26 games, although not in style.
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Mbappe had France’s first chance within seconds, followed by a powerful and angular strike from Malo Gusto in a quiet Parc des Princes. Hugo Ekitike also tested goalkeeper Shakhrudin Magomedaliyev, but France lacked an edge in a largely disappointing first half.
However, on the stroke of half-time, Mbappe slalomed through the visitor’s defense and found the back of the net with a neat low shot to give France the lead.
Ekitike came close early in the second half, his angled right-footed shot bouncing off the far post.
Rabiot finally put the result beyond doubt in the 69th minute, heading home after Mbappe’s cross from the left.
Six years after his last cap, Thauvin – world champion with Les Bleus in 2018 – replaced Mbappe in the 83rd minute after the captain took a blow to the ankle and scored with his first touch a minute later with a subtle volley.
Published on October 11, 2025
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