Kylian Mbappé scored for the 10th game in a row as France continued their perfect start to 2026 World Cup qualifying with a win over Azerbaijan.
The Real Madrid striker scored his 53rd goal for France in first-half injury time. He dribbled past defenders and calmly placed the ball into the bottom corner.
It was his 17th goal of the season, and he has scored in 12 of his 13 games for both France and Real Madrid so far this season.
In the second half, Mbappé set up Adrien Rabiot for France’s second goal in the 69th minute with a perfect cross.
Although he had been a doubt for the match with an ankle injury, Mbappé started the game but asked to be taken off with eight minutes left. He was replaced by Florian Thauvin, the former Newcastle United midfielder, who scored a great goal on his return to the national team — his first appearance since 2019.
Still, the night belonged to Mbappé, who has made a flying start to the season. Since being named France captain in 2023, the 26-year-old has been in top form.
Mbappé vs Haaland and Kane
Even though Mbappé is one of the most in-form players in Europe, he still has fewer goals than Erling Haaland and Harry Kane this season:
-
Haaland (Manchester City & Norway): 18 goals in 11 games, including 5 goals in Norway’s 11-1 win over Moldova. He leads the scoring in European World Cup qualifiers with 9 goals.
-
Kane (Bayern Munich & England): 18 goals in just 10 games, including 11 goals in 6 Bundesliga matches. He’s the top scorer in Germany.
In the Champions League, however, Mbappé leads the way with 5 goals in 2 matches. Kane has 4 goals, and Haaland is close behind with 3.