France's World Cup Qualifier: Mbappe matches Henry's goal record for France, while Retegui scores twice for Italy
In an exciting match at the Wroclaw Stadium in Poland, France secured a 2-0 victory over Ukraine, thanks to a goal from Kylian Mbappe. This goal leveled Mbappe with Thierry Henry for second place on France's all-time scoring list, with both players having 51 international goals. Olivier Giroud remains in first place with 57 goals.
The goal, scored in the 10th minute, was set up by Aurelien Tchouameni following a counter-attack. Mbappe's priority, however, remains winning more silverware with France, having already won the 2018 World Cup and the 2020-21 Nations League title.
Meanwhile, in a separate match, Italy recorded a commanding 5-0 win against Estonia. Mateo Retegui, a recent addition to the squad, scored twice in his qualifying debut under new coach Gennaro Gattuso. Retegui also made a winning start in his domestic league debut for Al Qadsiah, scoring twice in a 3-1 victory against Al Najma Saudi.
Italy's win has improved their position in Group I, as they are now third, six points behind leaders Norway who have played one game more. Italy has a superior goal difference compared to second-place Bulgaria in the group.
Gattuso, a member of Italy's 2006 World Cup-winning squad, was brought in as coach in June to stop Italy's slide towards a third-consecutive missed World Cup finals. He urged calm as qualification starts to heat up, with Italy's next match being against Israel in Hungary on Monday.
Elsewhere in the match against Estonia, Moise Kean, Giacomo Raspadori, and Alessandro Bastoni also scored for Italy. The goal scored by Olise, who started and finished the move, was a significant contribution to the team's impressive performance.
As France and Italy continue their quest for World Cup qualification, both teams will be looking to build on their recent successes and maintain their momentum in the coming matches.
