Mbappe levels up with Henry as France cruise past Ukraine in World Cup tie

France defeated Ukraine 2-0 to begin their World Cup qualifying campaign in style with a late Kylian Mbappe breakaway goal that gave them the lead early in Michael Olise’s opener.

The forward now has 51 international goals, which puts him on par with Thierry Henry in second place behind Olivier Giroud (57), thanks to his Real Madrid teammate Aurelien Tchouameni’s 82nd-minute strike on Friday, which was set up by him at the end of a quick counterattack.

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After replacing Desire Doue at the interval, second-half substitute Ousmane Dembele, who had already missed training this week due to a thigh issue, aggravated the same injury.

Before halftime, Doue was unable to continue because of a knock to his right calf. Hugo Ekitike earned his first cap, but Dembele’s evening also came to an end when he took off in the 81st minute, making way for him.

Les Bleus’ pace and movement kept Ukraine apart throughout the opening half of a smooth 4-2-3-1 formation Les Bleus had controlled the opening half.

Only goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin’s quick reflexes, including his deft sliding pass from Bradley Barcola to Olise, prevented further damage by blocking Dembele and denied Olise a second after a delicate Tchouameni chip over the defense.

After the hour, Ukraine, who had first threatened to shoot dangerous crosses into the box, burst forth. Before Illia Zabarnyi struck Mike Maignan’s post, briefly putting France’s backline under real pressure, Ibrahima Konate cleared off the line from Ivan Kalyuzhnyi.

However, Deschamps’ side were able to watch the final minutes with comfort once Mbappe sprinted clear to deliver the decisive blow with a low drive.

The 2018 World Champions advance to Group D when faced with the toughest opposition as a result. Iceland and Azerbaijan are also included in the group.