The defending champions proved too strong for Poland after putting three goals in the Polish net in a World Cup Round 16 match on Sunday afternoon.
Striker Olivier Giroud gave the World champions a 1:0 lead just before the break by nicely converting from Kylian Mbappé’s assist.
Kylian Mbappé scored twice after the break to give Les Blues a 3:0 lead making him the leading top scorer in the World Cup with five goals. Robert Lewandowski, the Polish captain converted from the spot in the 99th minute to give Poland a consolation.
In the history of the World Cup, Poland has participated in nine World Cup editions, starting with the 1938 World Cup where they lost to Brazil in a 5:6 thriller. It took Poland thirty-six years later to qualify for another World Cup, where they began to stun the world from eliminating former world champions England in 1974 qualification, to finishing third twice, in 1974 and 1982 editions. After participating in 1986, Poland started to decline and lost momentum in global football.
In the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Poland were in a group containing Argentina, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. They were able to get a 0:0 draw against Mexico but Barcelona striker and skipper for the side Robert Lewandowski saw his penalty saved by Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.
In their second group game against Saudi Arabia, the Polish were able to secure a 2:0 win over the Saudi Arabia side taking them to four points. They lost their final game against Argentina by 2:0 but still managed to qualify to the round of 16 ahead of Mexico who had beaten Saudi Arabia due to goal difference.
France on the other hand won their first two group matches against Australia and Denmark. They were defeated by Tunisia in their final group match but still managed to top their group.
France would want to repeat the feat and become the second European country to have ever defended the World Cup after Italy in 1934 and 1938 and the only third country to do so after Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
Les Blues manager Didier Deschamps is one of the few coaches to have won the World Cup as a player in 1998 and as a coach in 2018. He would want to be the only manager to win the World Cup consecutively.
France will play against the three lions of England in the quarter-finals stage with the hope that they will make it to the semi-finals.
Kylian Mbappé is the youngest footballer (23) to have scored nine goals in the history of the World Cup.
France were one of the 13 nations who took part in the very first World Cup finals in 1930. Since then, they have only failed to qualify four times (1970, 1974, 1990 and 1994) but otherwise have played every single edition and usually make it past the group stage at the very least.
This is the ninth time that France have made it as far as the quarter finals – and the first time they have achieved it in three consecutive editions (2014, 2018 and 2022). Out of the previous eight appearances, they have only failed to advance to the semi-finals twice – they were beaten 3-1 by Italy when they hosted the event for the first time in 1938 and lost 0-1 to eventual champions Germany at Brazil 2014.
France’s appearances in the quarter finals and beyond at the World Cup
1938 – quarter finals: lost 3-1 to Italy
1958 – semi-finals: lost 5-2 to Brazil
1982 – semi-finals: lost 5-4 on penalties to West Germany (3-3 aet)
1986 – semi-finals: lost 0-2 to West Germany
1998 – final: Champions – beat Brazil 0-3
2006 – final: lost 5-3 on penalties to Italy (1-1 aet)
2014 – quarter finals: lost 0-1 to Germany
2018 – final: Champions – beat Croatia 4-2
We wait to see if they can make to the semi-finals.
