Mbappe steals the show from legends

KAZAN 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 biggame 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 were eliminated from the World Cup.

Edinson Cavani’s stunning 62nd minute strike moments after Pepe’s equaliser secured a deserved 2-1 win over Portugal, setting up a Uruguay-France quarter-final in Nizhny on Saturday (AEST).

Uruguay will be sweating on the fitness of Cavani, who scored the other goal, after he limped off with a calf injury.

“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 the duo’s lofty heights, but the ease with which he’s assumed responsibility in a side featuring Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Olivier Giroud, N’Golo Kante (Chelsea) and Paul Pogba (Manchester United) smacks of a player who’ll relish stardom.

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 in years to come with the former Monaco star 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.”