Kylian Mbappe, the captain of the French national team, expressed his happiness with the victory over Ukraine (2-0) yesterday, Friday, at the start of the qualifying rounds for the 2026 World Cup, confirming that the win gives the team a strong boost for the rest of the journey.

Mbappe said: "We saw that the Ukrainian team did not give up; they gave everything. In the second half, there was a moment of confusion in our area for about ten or fifteen minutes. But I believe we controlled the match in the end. We managed to come back with three points, which was the goal, to give a good dynamic from the start of these qualifiers."

He added about his synergy with other forwards: "This was an extension of the recent matches. We have an ease in creating chances, in creating movement and danger. I think we could have extended the score further; I had some opportunities, and others did too. That can be improved, but I believe this is already a good start."

Regarding equaling Thierry Henry as the second top scorer in France's history with 51 goals: "I want to surpass him now. It is an honor to match the record of a player like Thierry Henry; everyone knows what he represents for us French. He is a person who paved the way, did amazing things, and I have a lot of respect and admiration for him. Reaching this kind of number is fantastic, but I love it. I want to continue, I love it, and I want to win more titles."