Kylian Mbappé continued his stellar form for France with a goal and an assist in their 3-0 World Cup Qualifier victory over Azerbaijan, though fans were left concerned as he limped off late in the match with an ankle issue.
The Real Madrid forward showed no signs of slowing down early on, slicing through defenders with a brilliant solo run before slotting home the opening goal in first-half stoppage time. That strike extended his scoring streak to ten consecutive games for both club and country.
Mbappé, who now sits second on France’s all-time scorers list with 53 goals, is only five away from surpassing Olivier Giroud’s record. The 26-year-old later set up Adrien Rabiot for France’s second goal with a precise lofted pass in the 69th minute. However, a clash with an opponent late in the game saw Mbappé nursing the same right ankle injury that had made him doubtful before kickoff.
Despite his exit in the 83rd minute, Florian Thauvin, who came on as a late substitute, immediately made an impact by scoring France’s third goal — his first for Les Bleus in six years.
With this result, France tops Group D with nine points, five clear of second-placed Ukraine, who staged a thrilling comeback to beat Iceland 5-3. Azerbaijan sits at the bottom with just one point.
Meanwhile, Germany bounced back from a shaky start to its qualifying campaign with a convincing 4-0 win over Luxembourg. Joshua Kimmich scored twice, while Luxembourg’s hopes were dashed after Dirk Carlson received a red card in the 20th minute. Germany now leads Group A on goal difference, tied with Northern Ireland and Slovakia on six points.
Elsewhere, Belgium dominated possession and had 25 attempts but failed to score in a frustrating 0-0 draw with North Macedonia, which remains top of Group J. Switzerland maintained its perfect start in Group B, defeating Sweden 2-0 to record three wins in three matches without conceding a single goal.
As qualification heats up, all eyes will be on Mbappé’s fitness, with fans hoping the French star recovers swiftly ahead of upcoming fixtures.