Of all teams to have a blinder against, Kylian Mbappe just had to do it against the Socceroos as France breezed home to a 4-1 victory.
The French winger was at his electrifying best throughout, scoring a goal in the 68th minute with a clinical header and floating an inviting cross that striker Olivier Giroud thumped home for France’s fourth, all in the space of three minutes.
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Nathaniel Atkinson was the unfortunate Aussie who was given the task of shackling Mbappe, but sadly couldn’t quite pocket the French star who ran riot on the left flank time and time again.
It shouldn’t have taken Mbappe until midway through the second half to get the goal his performance deserved either.
The 23-year-old reminded the world that he is human after all when he missed an absolute sitter in the dying minutes of the first half.
French star Antoine Griezmann, who had an outstanding game himself which has somewhat flown under the radar, laid the ball perfectly for the on-rushing Mbappe.
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Yet, when it seemed easier to score than miss, the Paris Saint-Germain flyer skied his chance over the bar and was left sporting an embarrassed smile.
It was the only stain on an otherwise spotless performance and the cold, hard statistics provide a glimpse at just how dominant he was.
Throughout his time on the park, Mbappe had a whopping 19 touches in the opposition box, per Opta.
Sure, that seems a strong number, but it stands out even more when you stack it up against the other nations.
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Only six teams have had more touches in the opposition box, with France topping the charts thanks to an eye-watering 44 touches against the Aussies.
The US had 20 against Wales on Tuesday (AEDT) while Mbappe’s tally of touches is equal with the Netherlands, who had 19 against Senegal.
On an individual basis, Mbappe’s goal against the Socceroos was his fifth World Cup goal for Les Bleus, making him the youngest player to do so for France at just 23 years and 337 days.
Not only that, but it was his 12th goal in his last 11 appearances for Didier Deschamps’ side
Unsurprisingly, the football world was drooling at Mbappe’s performance as he continues to cement his status as one of the best on the planet, even if his ability seems out of this world.
