Kylian Mbappe makes history, becoming the first player since 1966 to…

NEW DELHI: France captain Kylian Mbappe on Thursday made history by becoming the first player since 1966 to register 10 or more goals in two separate FIFA World Cups.The 27-year-old reached the milestone after scoring and assisting in France’s 2-0 win over Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals. Mbappe added 10 goals in the 2022 World Cup and has already reached 11 in the ongoing 2026 edition.

More records for Mbappe

It was another record night for the French captain.Mbappe became the youngest player to make 20 appearances at the FIFA World Cup as well as the fastest player to reach 20 goals in the history of the tournament.His 60th-minute strike was the 20th World Cup goal of his career, just one behind Lionel Messi’s total of 21.The Real Madrid forward has also moved back to the top of the Golden Boot table. Mbappe and Messi have eight goals in the tournament, but the Frenchman leads the tiebreaker with three assists over Messi.

Mbapped joins Messi

Mbappe also joined the exclusive list after his performance against Morocco.He became only the fourth player in the last 60 years to score, assist and miss a penalty in the same World Cup game. Remarkably, the rare feat has now been achieved twice in the past three days, with Lionel Messi doing it against Egypt before Mbappe repeated it against Morocco.It was also the third time Mbappe had scored and assisted in the same World Cup match. The only player to have done it more often in the last 60 years is Messi, who has done it five times.

France advances to the semi-finals

Mbappe’s brilliant display helped France beat Morocco 2-0 to book their place in the World Cup semi-finals.Ousmane Dembele scored France’s second goal as Les Bleus stayed on course to become only the third nation to reach three consecutive World Cup finals.France also extended another impressive record by recording their sixth World Cup victory in matches refereed by Argentina – the most of any country.The match was also Mbappe’s 20th World Cup appearance under Didier Deschamps, the highest by any player under the same coach.France will now face either Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals in Dallas.