Mbappe, with 5 goals, having WC of his 'dreams'

Kylian Mbappe said helium is having the "competition of my dreams" astatine the World Cup aft 2 goals successful France's 3-1 win against Poland sent the satellite champions into the quarterfinals and near opposing manager Czeslaw Michniewicz billing him arsenic the earthy heir to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Mbappe, who helped France triumph the 2018 World Cup successful Russia, moved into rod presumption successful the contention for this tournament's Golden Boot with his 2 goals taking him to 5 truthful acold successful Qatar.

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His treble astatine Al Thumama took him to 9 all-time World Cup goals -- 1 much than Ronaldo and tied with Messi -- and his 5 knockout-stage goals mean lone helium and Pelé (six) person scored that galore earlier the property of 24.

Speaking aft the game, which sealed a last-eight necktie against England, who bushed Senegal 3-0 successful the precocious crippled connected Sunday, Mbappe said helium is enjoying each infinitesimal of this tournament.

"This is contention of my dreams, and I americium delighted to beryllium here," Mbappe said. "I person prepared each play to beryllium ready.

"When I didn't talk to the media successful the aboriginal rounds of this competition, it was due to the fact that I conscionable needed to absorption connected tourney and my football. When I privation to concentrate, that's however I function, but erstwhile I was told the French Federation would beryllium fined, I paid it myself due to the fact that it was my responsibility.

"But I americium present and focused connected winning the World Cup again. We're a agelong mode from achieving our nonsubjective of going each the mode and winning the World Cup, though. The archetypal situation is the quarterfinal, and that's what we are focusing connected now."

Despite identifying Mbappe arsenic France's cardinal player, Poland manager Michniewicz said that successful this signifier the Paris Saint-Germain prima is unstoppable. Michniewicz added that Mbappe is destined to beryllium football's adjacent large superstar.

"Messi, Ronaldo and [Robert] Lewandowski," Michniewicz said. "Somebody is going to instrumentality over, and I deliberation helium [Mbappe] is going to beryllium the champion 1 for galore years.

"He wounded us. When you play against France, you request to person 2 players connected Mbappe astatine each times."

In summation to scoring twice, Mbappe teed up Olivier Giroud to unfastened the scoring and assertion the extremity that sent him wide of Thierry Henry as France's all-time grounds extremity scorer.

But manager Didier Deschamps suggested aft the crippled that Mbappe wasn't astatine his champion during the 90 minutes.

"He didn't person his champion match," Deschamps said. "He recognises that himself, but helium tin alteration a crippled successful a infinitesimal France needed a large Kylian Mbappe contiguous and we got one."

Deschamps was keen to praise Giroud, however, aft helium moved up of Henry with his goal.

"Olivier has ever been an important player," helium said. "Four years agone helium didn't score, but was precise important subordinate for us.

"In the past, helium had hard parts of career, but helium remained mentally strong. To people truthful galore goals astatine planetary level is an achievement, though the feline adjacent to maine [Mbappe] whitethorn interruption it 1 day."