France Cruise Past Azerbaijan as Mbappé Shines

France took another confident step towards securing a spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Azerbaijan on Friday night. Although the match lacked fireworks, it was a textbook performance from Didier Deschamps’ men, who kept the game firmly under control from start to finish.

Kylian Mbappé once again stole the spotlight, opening the scoring with a clinical finish before turning provider for Florian Thauvin, who struck a stunning goal to double the lead. However, what started as a near-perfect evening took a worrying turn when Mbappé was forced off in the second half with an apparent injury.

The third goal came courtesy of veteran striker Olivier Giroud, who capitalised on a defensive lapse to seal the result. With this win, France remain firmly on top of their UEFA World Cup qualifying group, extending their unbeaten run and reinforcing their status as one of Europe’s elite national teams.

FIFA World Cup 2026, Qualifiers

France - Azerbaijan 3:0 (1:0)
Goals: Mbappé, 45 (1:0); Rabiot, 69 (2:0); Thauvin, 84 (3:0)

France: Maignan; Gusto; Upamecano; Saliba; Theo Hernández; Thuram K.; Coman (Nkunku, 79); Olise (Akliouche, 70); Rabiot (Camavinga, 70); Ekitike (Mateta, 79); Mbappé (Thauvin, 83)
Substitution: Camavinga (from 70); Akliouche (from 70); Nkunku (from 79); Mateta (from 79); Thauvin (from 83)
Bench: Samba B.; Chevalier L.; Digne; Kounde; Konate; Lucas Hernandez; Koné M.
Yellow Cards: Rabiot 63

Azerbaijan: Magomedaliyev; Mustafazada; Krivotsyuk; Badalov; Jafarguliyev; Makhmudov E.; Khaibulaev (Khachayev, 78); Bayramov T. (Dasdemirov R-n, 78); Aliyev G. (Mammadov, 70); Akhmedzade (Qurbanly, 61); Emreli (Madatov) (Akhundzade, 70)
Substitution: Qurbanly (from 61); Mammadov (from 70); Akhundzade (from 70); Dasdemirov R-n (from 78); Khachayev (from 78)
Bench: Bayramov A.; Jafarov; Huseynov Ab.; Huseynov J.; Haciyev F.; Nuriev A.; Dadashov Re.
Yellow Cards: Bayramov T. 26; Akhmedzade 52