France opened their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Ukraine in Wroclaw, Poland. Michael Olise gave the visitors an early lead, and Kylian Mbappé sealed the victory in the 82nd minute on a counterattack, equalling Thierry Henry’s tally of 51 international goals. Ukraine threatened late, with Serikzhan Muzhikov hitting the post in stoppage time, but France held on comfortably. Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitiké made his senior debut as a substitute.
Manager Didier Deschamps praised his side’s performance, while Mbappé acknowledged room for improvement despite the solid start. France now prepare to host Iceland, who recently beat Azerbaijan 5-0.
Italy also impressed under new manager Gennaro Gattuso, defeating Estonia 5-0 at home in Bergamo. Moise Kean opened the scoring, followed by Mateo Retegui’s brace, Giacomo Raspadori, and Alessandro Bastoni completing the rout. Italy, aiming to secure a World Cup spot after missing the last two tournaments, face Israel next in Hungary.
Elsewhere, Slovenia earned a late 2-2 draw with Sweden, Switzerland beat Kosovo 4-0, Greece defeated Belarus 5-1, and Denmark drew 0-0 with Scotland. In Africa, Morocco became the first team to qualify for the World Cup, topping their group with a 5-0 victory over Niger, maintaining a perfect record in the qualifiers.
