Kylian Mbappe stole the show with two goals in France’s 3-1 World Cup last-16 win over Poland on Sunday but Didier Deschamps claims he wasnt at his best.
Olivier Giroud put Les Bleus ahead late in the first half from Mbappe’s assist, before the Paris Saint-Germain winger struck a powerful finish home in the 74th minute.
Mbappe would seal the victory by curling in another in the 91st minute, before Robert Lewandowski got a consolation from the penalty spot.
“We know about Kylian. We’ve already seen him. He speaks on the football pitch,” Deschamps told reporters.
“He didn’t have his best match tonight, I don’t want to accuse him of anything, and he knows that himself. But he can change a match in a moment.
“He’s playing with such joy. We want to share those smiles with him.
“France needed a great Kylian Mbappe tonight, and they got one.”
The 23-year-old now has five goals this World Cup, having netted four times in Russia 2018. Mbappe now has 33 international goals.
Giroud’s goal brought up a major milestone for him, becoming France’s outright all-time leading scorer.
The AC Milan forward’s goal took him to 52 international strikes, moving past Thierry Henry.
“Olivier has always been an important player,” Deschamps said.
“Four years ago he didn’t score, but he was a very important player for us. There were difficult periods for him in his career.
“Today we’re seeing his quality. He’s often criticised but has managed to remain strong, mentally strong. It was a very difficult record, because it was Thierry Henry before him.”
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