France young gun fires as Messi and Ronaldo crash out Mbappe leaves legends in shade
and July 1, 2018 may be remembered in equal measure as symbols of world football’s changing of the guard.
With the eyes of the world on Lionel Messi, it was Kylian Mbappe, 19, who stole the spotlight to transition from teen super-talent to France’s big-game hunter, destroying Argentina with a potent mix of speed and killer finishing.
And on the same day Mbappe inspired a youthful France to a famous 4-3 win, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal was eliminated from the World Cup.
Edinson Cavani’s stunning 62nd-minute strike, moments after Peper’s equaliser, secured a deserved 2-1 won over Portugal, setting up a Uruguay-France quarter-final in Nizhny Novgorod on Saturday.
Uruguay will be sweating on the fitness of Cavani, who also scored his side’s first goal, after he limped off with a hamstring issue.
“I hope it is nothing and I can keep going,’’ Cavani said.
“A study will be done and we’ll see what can be done. I just felt this little pain and I couldn’t go on.”
Cavani’s PSG teammate Mbappe has a long way to go before he reaches Messi and Ronaldo’s lofty heights, but the ease with which he’s assumed responsibility in a Les Bleus side featuring Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Olivier Giroud, N’Golo Kante (Chelsea) and Paul Pogba (Manchester United) smacks of a player who will relish superstardom.
He is the first teenager since Pele in 1958 – he was 17 – to score twice in a World Cup game and, to put his goals into context, Messi has never scored in the World Cup knockout stage.
Messi and Mbappe shared an embrace in the middle of the Kazan Arena pitch after the final whistle, in an image that may become symbolic as the former Monaco star seems destined for greatness.
While Messi, who turned 31 a week ago, refused to speak to the media after the match, a smiling Mbappe was savouring the moment. “I’m very happy and it’s flattering to be compared to a great player like Pele. But he’s in another category,” Mbappe said. “Still it’s great to join the list of players that have achieved such feats.”
Mbappe was brought down for a penalty, which Griezmann converted, before the teenager’s two superb finishes decided the match. BELGIUM v JAPAN tomorrow, 4am (SBS)
Ladbrokes odds (after 90mins)
Belgium $1.38; Japan $9.50; Draw $4.50
Top scorers
Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) 4, Keisuke Honda, Takashi Inui, Shinji Kagawa, Yuya Osako (Japan) 1 Key Match-up Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium) v Gaku Shibasaki (Japan) De Bruyne’s passing and vision is sublime, but Shibasaki is oozing confidence off the back of his debut season in Spain’s top flight with Getafe