Kylian Mbappe played a crucial role as France secured their place in back-to-back World Cup finals with a win against Morocco in the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday, 14 December.
Theo Hernandez opened the scoring for Didier Deschamps' team when he found the back of the net with a spectacular finish in the fifth minute of the game. And Mbappe was the provider for his team's second goal.
The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar breezed past the Moroccan defense before attempting a shot. His deflected effort fell right into the path of Randal Kolo Muani, who ended up scoring - and that too just 44 seconds after coming on as a substitute, the second fastest in the history of the World Cup.
France will now play Lionel Messi and Argentina on Sunday. They have the chance to become the first team since 1962 to win the World Cup twice in a row.
Mbappe reacted to the win as he wrote on Twitter:
"BACK TO BACK WORLD CUP FINAL."
The final is set to be a showdown between club teammates Mbappe and Messi. Both PSG superstars have been in scintillating form during the tournament in Qatar. They are jointly leading the race for the Golden Boot with five goals to their name each.
Mbappe and Messi have also been two of the best players overall during the FIFA World Cup. The winner of the final might well lift the Golden Ball award too.
Messi is looking to win his first World Cup. Mbappe, meanwhile, is aiming to become a two-time World Cup champion. Considering he is only 23, that would be an insane achievement.
France's Kylian Mbappe has been one of the best players of the 2022 FIFA World Cup so far
France's Kylian Mbappe has easily been one of the best players of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He has been a nightmare to deal with for any team.
Bulgarian star Bozhidar Kraev recently gave an idea of how it feels to face Mbappe. He faced the PSG superstar in an international friendly last year. Kraev said (via Stuff):
“Kylian Mbappe is probably the best player in the world right now. He’s unstoppable. I remember especially him, you would close him on one side and he’d go the other side very fast. You couldn’t stop him. He’s the most difficult player I’ve ever played against, without a doubt."