France and Poland met in the Al Thumama Stadium for the third Round of 16 fixture of Qatar 22. Here’s how the match went:
1st Half
This match was expected to be a matter of attack vs defense. However, Poland’s mid block and brave approach saw them cause France problems throughout the match.
Griezmann found Raphael Varane from a corner for the first chance of the first half but the ball flew over the bar.
Eleven minutes into the game, Tchouameni tested Szczęsny’s sharpness from 30 yards out and the Pole passed the test.
Lewandowski had Poland’s first shot of the game but he dragged it just wide of Lloris’ goal.
Kounde responded with a shot from a similar distance but it had a similar result to Lewandowski’s.
In the 28th minute, Giroud had the best chance of the first half after a Dembele cut back but he uncharacteristically failed to convert from close range.
Minutes later, Mbappe sat Matt Cash down before blasting a shot to the first post but Szczęsny came out on top once again.
Poland had a series of chances in the 37th minute but some heroic blocks or saves from the French kept the score at 0-0.
Mbappe got the ball in the left half space, found Giroud who made a great run in behind Poland’s defense and finished it excellently. He overtook Thierry Henry as France’s all time top scorer.
Kaminski had a chance to respond instantly but it took a deflection and went out for a corner.
France led at half time and were 45 minutes away from a quarterfinal appearance against England or Senegal.
2nd Half
The second half, also known as the Mbappe Show.
Kylian was on fire in the second half and killed the game off with two quality finishes in the 74th and 90th minute.
For his first, Dembele played a cross field pass to the PSG attacker. He controlled it, stood it up before whipping it into the top left hand corner. 2-0 France.
His second goal came after he received a pass from Thuram, shifted it onto his right foot then rifled it into the top corner.
The game was now beyond Poland’s reach but Lewandowski grabbed a consolation after his second attempt from the penalty spot.
France now advance to the Round of 16 and drastically improve their chances of defending their World Cup title.
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