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France beat Poland 3-1 in the Round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Sunday (December 4) to book their place in the quarterfinals.
A brace from Kylian Mbappe following an Olivier Giroud strike got the job done for Les Bleus, with Robert Lewandowski scoring a consolation for Poland from the spot in stoppage time.
Giroud opened the scoring with a sublime finish at the near post to become his nation's all-time top-scorer with 52 goals. Mbappe then doubled Les Bleus' advantage in the 74th minute before adding a third in the first minute of added time.
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Poland won a penalty deep into stoppage time after Ousmane Dembele was penalised for a handball. Lewandowski saw his first effort saved by Hugo Lloris. However, the French custodian had come off the line, and Lewandowski made no mistake with his second attempt.
France will now face either England or Senegal in the last eight on Saturday (December 10). On that note, here are the player ratings for France and Poland:
France Ratings
Hugo Lloris - 7/10
The France captain wasn't really tested in goal and also saved Lewandowski's feeble penalty in stoppage time. However, as he had come off his line, it was retaken, and Lloris was beaten on the second attempt.
Jules Kounde - 6.5/10
He made an audacious attempt from range early on, but the Polish 'keeper Wojciech Szczesny made a comfortable save. Defensively, though, Kounde was barely tested.
Raphael Varane - 7.5/10
The veteran centre-back made a stupendous clearance off the line to deny Jakub Kaminski in the second half.
Dayot Upamecano - 6.5/10
He conceded a late penalty to Poland, which Lewandowski convereted to net a consolation strike for Poland.
Theo Hernandez - 6.5/10
Hernandez made a vital clearance midway through the second half to prevent Kaminski from connecting with an incoming cross.
Aurelien Tchouameni - 7.5/10
The Real Madrid midfielder called Szczesny into action with a powerful strike from range and was booked for a strong challenge on Przemysław Frankowski.
Adrien Rabiot - 7/10
He probed the spaces in the Poland midfield and looked to feed the Les Bleus attackers.
Ousmane Dembele - 7.5/10
He bagged the assist for Mbappe's goal by cutting inside from the right flank and feeding the PSG ace into space.
Antoine Griezmann - 7.5/10
He created a few chances for his attacking cohorts and saw an effort from range saved by the Polish custodian.
Kylian Mbappe - 9.5/10
Mbappe doubled France's advantage in the second half with a powerful shot and added a third with another sublime finish. He also bagged the assist for Giroud's goal.
Olivier Giroud - 8/10
Giroud bagged his 52nd goal for France to surpass Thierry Henry's record of most goals for the two-time champions.
France Substitutes
Youssouf Fofana (66' for Tchouameni) - 5/10
Not much of an impact
Kingsley Coman (76' for Dembele) - 5/10
He kept the ball moving for his team in the final quarter.
Marcus Thuram (76' for Giroud) - 7/10
Thuram worked an offload at the feet of Mbappe for the latter's second of the evening.
Axel Disasi (90' for Kounde) - N/A
Not enough time to make an impact
Poland Player Ratings
Wojciech Szczesny - 6.5/10
He made five saves but was eventually let down by his defence.
Matty Cash - 6.5/10
Cash showed great anticipation in defence and read the game well.
Kamil Glik - 6/10
He powered a header off a free-kick over the bar.
Jakub Kiwior - 5/10
Giroud got the better of him for France's first goal with ridiculous ease.
Bartosz Bereszyński - 7/10
The Polish midfielder saw an effort saved by Lloris from point-blank range and went into the books for bringing down Dembele.
Grzegorz Krychowiak - 6.5/10
Krychowiak prevented an almost certain goal from Mbappe by sticking his boot out to block the PSG man's effort.
Jakub Kaminski - 6/10
Kaminski fired a shot in the additional minutes of the first half, but it was diverted in behind by Upamecano. He had also seen an effort cleared off the line earlier on.
Piotr Zielinski - 6/10
Zielinski took a good touch to round Rabiot and open up space in the 51st minute but overran the ball before pulling the trigger.
Sebastian Szymanski - 5/10
The 23-year-old struggled to cope with France's pace and passing in midfield.
Przemysław Frankowski - 7/10
He broke down the left flank and sent in a great cross at the back post for Kaminski, but Hernandez headed it away.
Robert Lewandowski - 7/10
The Barcelona hitman saw a terrible penalty attempt saved on the line by Hugo Lloris but made no mistake when he retook it.
Poland Substitutes
Arkadisuz Milik (64' for Szymanski) - 6/10
He made a cross for Lewandowski in stoppage time, which the Poland captain failed to connect with.
Krystian Bielik (71' for Krychowiak) - 6.5/10
Strong in the air, Bielik showed good passing range.
Nicola Zalewski (71' for Kaminski) - 6.5/10
His ball-winning prowess is terrific.
Kamil Grosicki (87' for Frankowski) - N/A
Not enough time to make an impact
