Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappé reached a spectacular personal milestone while firing France to the FIFA World Cup with a commanding 4-0 victory over Ukraine at the Parc des Princes.
A Night of Personal and Team Triumph
The match will be remembered for Mbappé's historic achievement as the French captain scored twice to reach 400 career goals at just 26 years and 328 days old. The breakthrough came in the 55th minute when Mbappé calmly converted a Panenka-style penalty after Michael Olise was fouled in the area.
The penalty decision came after a lengthy VAR review, with referee Slavko Vincic ultimately sticking with his original call despite Ukrainian appeals for a spot-kick at the other end earlier in the match. Mbappé made no mistake from twelve yards, delicately chipping the ball down the middle to break the deadlock.
France's Dominant Second Half Display
France doubled their advantage in the 76th minute through Michael Olise before Mbappé struck again to complete his brace and reach that remarkable 400-goal landmark. The breakdown of his career tally shows 27 goals for Monaco, 256 for PSG, 62 for Real Madrid, and 55 for France.
Rather than pursuing a hat-trick, the generous captain then set up Hugo Ekitike for the Liverpool star's first international goal in the 88th minute. With 55 international goals, Mbappé now sits just two behind France's all-time leading scorer Olivier Giroud.
Emotional Prelude and Looking Ahead
The match began with a poignant minute of silence honouring the victims of the Paris attacks, as the qualifier fell on the tenth anniversary of the tragic events that claimed 132 lives in 2015, including 90 at the Bataclan concert hall near the stadium.
Following the comprehensive victory, France secured their World Cup place with one qualifying match remaining, leaving Ukraine and Iceland to battle for the group's play-off spot. The world champions from 1998 and 2018 will now head to next summer's tournament across the United States, Canada, and Mexico as one of the favourites, attempting to reach their third consecutive World Cup final.
When asked about his personal milestone after the match, Mbappé remained characteristically focused on future achievements. 'That doesn't impress people,' he told TF1. 'I need 400 more, there's still a long way to go. It's symbolic, but I'm going to try the impossible.'
