France had Kylian Mbappé (24) to thank in the aftermath of their 2-1 victory against The Netherlands which secured their qualification for next summer’s EURO 2024 in Germany. The France captain scored a brace against Holland to secure Les Bleus’ 15th consecutive qualification for an international tournament since they failed to qualify for the World Cup in 1994.
Following the match the PSG forward’s coach, Didier Deschamps, gave full reassurance in his confidence as to the 24-year-old’s role as France captain, when speaking to L’Équipe: “He assumes this role, without taking everything. It’s not just what’s visible on the ground. It has to be realised on the pitch but he had energy even though he came from a difficult period. He is the captain, the leader, he is not alone but he is important.”
Mbappé’s two goals against the Netherlands have now taken his tally to 42 goals in 72 matches. This moves the former Monaco forward up to 4th in the all-time top scorer list for Les Bleus. He has leapfrogged Michel Platini in the process and moves two strikes behind Griezmann in third. Giroud sits at the top of list with 51 goals but Mbappé is now just 9 goals behind the AC Milan forward.
GFFN | Liam Wraith
