Kylian Mbappé continues record-setting pace in France’s World Cup round of 16 victory | CNN

Kylian Mbappé continues record-setting pace in France’s World Cup round of 16 victory

CNN  — 

It was a successful afternoon all-round for France on Sunday.

The team booked its ticket to the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup with a 3-1 victory over Poland.

And members of the team hit a raft of momentous marks.

France’s goalkeeper Hugo Lloris made his 142nd appearance, coming level with Lilian Thuram as his country’s most-capped player.

Up front, Olivier Giroud became France’s leading men’s scorer with his 52nd goal for Les Bleus, breaking Thierry Henry’s record.

But, the star of the show on Sunday was Kylian Mbappé, who continued his record-setting pace with an emphatic double.

France's Olivier Giroud celebrates with Kylian Mbappé after scoring the opening goal against Poland at the 2022 World Cup.

At just 23 years of age, Mbappé is one of the most exciting talents in world football, and consistently delivers on the biggest stage for France.

Having helped secure the nation’s second World Cup title in 2018 as a 19-year-old, he is continuing his domination four years later.

His double against Poland means he has scored five goals at this year’s tournament, as he leads the race for the Golden Boot award, two goals ahead of Lionel Messi, Giroud and a host of other players.

However, more significantly, Mbappé has scored nine goals in World Cups, becoming the first player to reach that mark before his 24th birthday.

Mbappé passed two footballing legends with his double. Both Diego Maradona and Cristiano Ronaldo have eight World Cup goals to their names.

And Mbappé’s all-round performance was the source of praise from pundits and commentators alike.

Former England and Manchester United defender compared the Paris St-Germain star’s match-winning display to Saturday’s masterpiece from Messi during Argentina’s 2-1 victory over Australia.

‘Yesterday, I spoke about Messi as the best performance,” Ferdinand told the BBC Sunday. “Today Mbappé was the most explosive performance, devastating in all areas.”

Mbappé runs wiht the ball against Poland.

Former England striker Chris Sutton said Mbappé was the match-defining player.

“Eventually it came down to Kylian Mbappe and a couple of wonderful finishes from him,” he told the BBC.

“This was a strong performance from France. There are tougher tests to come but it was a display of French swagger and a statement that we are still the team to beat.”

The all-time World Cup top goal scorer is Miroslav Klose with 16 goals. Who’s to say that Mbappé couldn’t challenge the Germany legend’s record?