France v Poland Live Commentary & Result, 4/12/22, FIFA World Cup

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France now await the winner of the round-of-16 clash between England and Senegal in the quarter-finals.

France advance to the quarter-finals of the World Cup courtesy of a 3-1 win over Poland in their round-of-16 clash. Olivier Giroud opened the scoring with a record-breaking 52nd goal for Les Bleus, taking him beyond Thierry Henry as France's all-time leading goalscorer. Kylian Mbappe displayed his brilliance to steer his team through with two superb strikes to take his tally of goals to five at the tournament. Robert Lewandowski got a consolation at the death for Poland from the penalty spot, but their World Cup has now ended.

90' + 10' FULL-TIME: FRANCE 3-1 POLAND

R. Lewandowski

Penalty Goal

90' + 9' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!! LEWANDOWSKI CONVERTS!!!! 3-1!!! Lewandowski scores with his second effort to end his tournament with a consolation goal. He does a stutter-step as he did with his first attempt, but on this occasion he fires his effort into the bottom-left corner.

90' + 8' Lewandowski misses the attempt with a poor strike that Lloris saves, but he will get a second chance as Lloris was off his line and there was encroachment from several France players.

90' + 7' PENALTY TO POLAND! The referee awards a penalty to Poland after seeing the evidence at the screen at the side of the pitch. Upamecano did handle the ball from the cross and the referee points to the spot.

90' + 6' There is a check for a potential penalty by VAR after Upamecano appeared to handle a cross from Grosicki.

90' + 4' Mbappe has scored five goals in four games at the 2022 World Cup, already surpassing his goal tally from his previous appearance in the tournament in 2018 (four goals in seven games).

90' + 2' Lewandowski latches on to a knockdown from Milik in the France box, but he scuffs his effort well wide of the left post.

A. Disasi

J. Koundé

90' + 2' Disasi replaces Kounde for France at the back for the closing stages.

M. Thuram

Assist

90' + 1' Thuram works an offload into the feet of Mbappe, who does the rest with a fine strike.

K. Mbappé

Goal

90' + 1' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!! MBAPPE SCORES ANOTHER STUNNER!!!! 3-0!!!!! Mbappe ensures that France are heading into the quarter-finals in style with another brilliant finish. Thuram slides a pass inside for the forward, who takes a touch out of his feet before smashing a right-footed strike into the top-right corner. A special goal.

90' There will be five minutes of added time.

M. Cash

Yellow Card

88' Cash brings down Thuram with a lunge and he goes into the book.

K. Grosicki

P. Frankowski

87' Frankowski is withdrawn for Grosicki for the closing stages.

J. Bednarek

J. Kiwior

86' Bednarek enters the action to replace Kiwior at the back for Poland.

86' Mbappe is not slowing down as he brings down Zalewski with a strong shoulder charge. Poland get the free-kick deep in their own half.

83' France will now want to see this one out with as little drama as possible. Deschamps will be wrapping Mbappe in cotton wool here.

81' Hernandez latches on to a loose ball in the box after Mbappe is dispossessed, but he shoots wide of the target on his right foot.

79' Zalewski angles a cross towards Zielinski in the box, but he just cannot bring it under control amid the pace of the delivery.

78' Mbappe is now the outright top goalscorer at the 2022 World Cup, also matching his tally from the 2018 tournament (four goals).

K. Coman

O. Dembélé

76' Dembele makes way for Coman in the final third after the winger collected an assist.

M. Thuram

O. Giroud

76' Giroud is withdrawn after another fine outing and notching his record-breaking goal. Thuram replaces him for the final 14 minutes.

O. Dembélé

Assist

74' Dembele surges at the Poland defence before he offloads to Mbappe in space. The forward picks his spot with a right-footed blast.

K. Mbappé

Goal

74' WHAT A GOAL!! MBAPPE FIRES IN A SECOND FOR FRANCE!!!!! 2-0!!! Les Bleus are surely heading into the last eight as Mbappe rifles a strike into the top-left corner. France clear their lines at one end before Giroud releases Dembele on the counter. The winger cuts inside from the right flank and feeds Mbappe in space. Mbappe takes a touch and hammers a right-footed strike past Szczesny.

72' OVER! Zielinski floats his free-kick to the back post for Glik to rise and attack, only to power his header over the bar. Lloris was not concerned about that effort.

K. Bielik

G. Krychowiak

71' Bielik replaces Krychowiak in the middle of the park.

N. Zalewski

J. Kamiński

71' Zalewski enters the action to replace Kaminski on the right flank.

70' Lewandowski twists and turns and is nudged to the ground by Upamecano on the right flank. Poland have a free-kick in a useful position.

68' Frankowski breaks down the left flank and floats a cross to the back post for Kaminski to attack. Hernandez does well to edge out the forward to prevent him from connecting with a header.

Y. Fofana

A. Tchouaméni

66' Tchouameni is withdrawn in the middle of the park and is replaced by Fofana.

66' WIDE! Giroud tries to steer a cross from Dembele towards goal at the near post, only to hit the side-netting with his glancing attempt.

A. Milik

S. Szymański

64' Milik enters the action for Poland to replace Szymanski. Michniewicz knows he needs a goal and sends on an additional forward.

63' It's not quite working out for Mbappe today. He scuffs a strike following a one-two with Dembele out to the right flank before he goes down on the edge of the box against Glik and is told to get to his feet.

61' Mbappe loses out on the edge of the box as he gathers Dembele's cutback. France are looking to kill the game off here, but just need a clinical edge in front of goal.

58' Giroud has the ball in the back of the net with a brilliant overhead kick, but the whistle had gone long before with Szczesny on the deck after he collided with Upamecano when punching clear a cross.

56' INCHES WIDE! Mbappe cuts inside from the left flank with a drop of the shoulder and fires at goal on his righ foot. Krychowiak sticks out a boot and blocks the ball, but it trickles inches wide of the right post.

55' Glik is in the right place at the right time in the middle to clear Griezmann's cross for Mbappe away from danger. Space is opening up for Les Bleus as Poland push men forward.

53' Mbappe has space to break and he offloads to Rabiot on the charge on the overlap. Bereszynski has to react in the middle to clear the cutback from the midfielder.

51' Zielinski takes a good touch around Rabiot to open up space for a strike on the edge of the box, but he just overruns the ball with his second before he can pull the trigger.

49' Giroud sends Dembele down the right flank with a sublime touch, but the winger fails to match the effort of his team-mate with a heavy touch of his own that allows Szczesny to smother the ball.

48' SAVE! Griezmann strikes his effort towards goal from the right flank, but Szczesny watches it all the way and punches it away. Hernandez latches on to the rebound, although he slices his effort well wide of the right post.

B. Bereszyński

Yellow Card

47' Bereszynski brings down Dembele on the charge down the right flank. He goes into the book and France have a free-kick on the right edge of the box. It looks a harsh decision as the defender got a touch on the ball.

46' We're back under way in this World Cup round-of-16 match.

It has been a much better performance from Poland from their last outing against Argentina. They've shown impetus in the final third and could have been ahead. Poland were unlocked at the back by the quality of the France attack, but it should not deter them from pushing forward in the second half in an attempt to get back into the contest.

France hold a 1-0 lead over Poland at the break in their World Cup round-of-16 clash. Olivier Giroud put his side ahead just before half-time, scoring a record-breaking 52nd goal for Les Bleus moving him ahead of Thierry Henry as their all-time leading goalscorer. It was a neat finish on the turn, having previously missed an open goal earlier in the half. Poland were impressive in the first half and only a brilliant save from Hugo Lloris and a block on the line from Raphael Varane prevented them from taking the lead. Les Bleus face a challenge in the second half to book their spot in the last eight.

45' + 2' HALF-TIME: FRANCE 1-0 POLAND

45' + 2' Krychowiak rises to head a corner back towards goal, but Lloris comes out to claim the ball. He should bring it down with ease, only to drop the ball in the six-yard area. Fortunately for the keeper, he scramble to regain possession before any white shirt can react.

45' + 1' Kaminski latches on to a cutback from Cash and fires at goal on his right foot, but his strike is diverted behind by Upamecano.

45' There will be two minutes of added time.

K. Mbappé

Assist

44' Mbappe threads a pass through to Giroud, who does the rest with a sublime finish on his left foot.

O. Giroud

Goal

44' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! GIROUD FIRES FRANCE IN FRONT!!!!! 1-0!!!!! Giroud becomes France's record goalscorer as he places a left-footed strike past Szczesny to put Les Bleus ahead. Mbappe slides a throughball into the path of Giroud in the box as he gains a step on Kiwior. The forward shoots on the turn and has the placement to find the bottom-right corner. What a moment for Giroud and France.

42' Poland have had seven shots so far against France - more than they had in the first halves of all three of their group games at this World Cup combined (six).

40' France were given an almighty scare there. Deschamps will have concerns about his side's performance in the first half as Poland are growing in confidence.

38' WHAT A SAVE AND OFF THE LINE! Lloris produces a brilliant stop before Varane clears the rebound off the line. Zielinski latches on to Bereszynski's cutback from the left flank and blasts a strike towards goal. Lloris makes a point-blank save before Upamecano gets his body in the way of the second effort from the midfielder. It's not over yet as Kaminski collects the rebound and steers a strike towards goal, only for Varane to clear it away. France breathe a huge sigh of relief.

36' Szczesny and Upamecano compete for the ball as Giroud hooks it towards goal. The keeper takes a blow from the defender as he tries to gather and gets the free-kick for Poland.

35' SAVE! Mbappe twists and turns to open up room for a left-footed blast. Szczesny is alert at his near post to repel the strike behind for a corner.

34' Cash tries to fire a shot to nothing from the edge of the box after latching on to Zielinski's pass. It evades a potential boot of Zielinski and Lewandowski and travels wide of the target.

34' Bereszynski finds space down the left flank and he steers a cross into the middle that is cleared by a vital touch from Varane ahead of Lewandowski.

33' BLOCK! Poor from Lewandowski as he curls a tame effort straight into the France wall with his free-kick from 20 yards. That struck the knees rather than the chests of the blue shirts in the wall.

A. Tchouaméni

Yellow Card

31' Tchouameni goes into the book for a strong challenge on Frankowski. Poland have a free-kick in a threatening position. It looked to be a 50/50 challenge, but Poland get the decision.

29' WHAT A MISS! Giroud misses an open goal at the back post. Frankowski loses out down the left flank for Poland and it allows France to counter through Griezmann. He releases Dembele into space down the inside-right channel and he fires a low ball to the back post for Giroud, only for the forward to slice his effort on the stretch wide of the target.

26' Kiwior and Glik have to double up at the back to halt Mbappe. The forward claims he is fouled, but the referee is not interested.

25' Poland are able to get out of their own half for a spell to put the pressure back on Les Bleus. Lewandowski collects a cutback from Zielenski and he offloads to Frankowski, who sees his effort blocked.

23' Rabiot spots a lot of space in behind for Mbappe to run into. Cash is well aware of the threat and makes a vital interception.

22' Kounde tries a blast from distance as he sees a path to goal. Szczensy has a clear sight of the ball all the way and makes a comfortable stop.

21' WIDE! Poland finally have space to break and Lewandowski collects in the final third. He shoots at goal on his left foot from 20 yards, but his effort drifts wide of the right post.

20' SAVE! Tchouameni floats a ball forward for Giroud and Griezmann to attack in the Poland box. Griezmann tries a clever flick towards goal with a backheel, forcing Szczesny to push it away from goal before Glik scrambles away the rebound.

19' France are in complete control of the game here. There's no way out for Poland at the moment.

17' SAVE! Krychowiak loses possession and it allows Dembele to surge towards the edge of the box, cutting inside from the right flank. He shoots on his left foot, but his effort lacks the power to beat Szczesny.

15' Griezmann lines up a throughball towards Giroud in the final third, but he strikes the ball just a fraction too hard for the forward to reach as Szczesny gathers just inside his penalty area.

13' SAVE! Space opens up for Tchouameni to rifle a strike at goal from distance. Szczesny has to get down quickly to his right to push the low effort behind for a corner.

11' Mbappe uses his blistering pace to run past Cash down the left flank. He finds Dembele at the back post, but the winger sees his effort blocked behind by Bereszynski.

9' Mbappe surges down the left flank and breaks past Cash. He delivers a dangerous cross to the back post that Kiwior has to direct behind.

8' Griezmann tries to thread the needle to Mbappe in the inside-left channel, but Glik makes the interception for Poland at the back.

5' Poland respond to the early pressure from France as Lloris makes a mistake from Varane's backpass, but Upamecano scrambles it away. The Poles push down the right through Cash, but he floats his cross straight into Lloris' hands.

4' CHANCE! Varane rises highest to attack a Griezmann corner from the right flank, but he directs his header wide of the right post.

2' Griezmann arcs a cross into the box from the right flank, but his delivery sails behind for a goal-kick without troubling the Poland defence.

1' Griezmann goes down under a challenge from Bereszynski on the right flank. France get an early chance to whip a cross into the box.

1' We're under way in this round-of-16 contest.

France are unbeaten in their last seven meetings with Poland across all competitions (won three, drawn four), with their last defeat against them being in a friendly in August 1982 (4-0). Les Bleus have kept a clean sheet in each of the last three in this run, all of which have been since the turn of the millennium.

Poland have made two changes to their side from their defeat to Argentina. Kaminski and Szymanski are recalled in the middle of the park as Bielik and Swiderski drop to the bench. Milik remains on the bench for Michniewicz's men.

Deschamps recalls all his key names after rotating his squad in the defeat to Tunisia. Only Varane and Tchouameni retain their places in the starting line-up. Lloris returns between the posts, while Kounde, Upamecano and Hernandez are restored to the backline. Rabiot is back alongside Tchouameni in the middle of the park. Griezmann, Dembele, Giroud and Mbappe are all back in a potent four-man attack.

POLAND SUBS: Artur Jedrzejczyk, Mateusz Wieteska, Jan Bednarek, Krystian Bielik, Arkadiusz Milik, Damian Szymanski, Kamil Grosicki, Lukasz Skorupski, Karol Swiderski, Szymon Zurkowski, Nicola Zalewski, Kamil Grabara, Krzysztof Piatek, Robert Gumny, Michal Skoras.

POLAND (3-4-3): Wojciech Szczesny; Bartosz Bereszynski, Kamal Glik, Jakub Kiwior; Matty Cash, Sebastian Szymanski, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Przemyslaw Frankowski; Piotr Zielinski, Jakub Kaminski, Robert Lewandowski.

FRANCE SUBS: Benjamin Pavard, Axel Disasi, Matteo Guendouzi, Randal Kolo Muani, Youssouf Fofana, Jordan Veretout, Steve Mandanda, William Saliba, Kingsley Coman, Alphonse Areola, Ibrahima Konate, Eduardo Camavinga, Marcus Thuram.

FRANCE (4-2-3-1): Hugo Lloris; Jules Kounde, Raphael Varane, Dayot Upamecano, Theo Hernandez; Aurelien Tchouameni, Adrien Rabiot; Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe; Olivier Giroud.

Poland had a nerve-racking experience in their final Group C game, securing their place in the round of 16 by the finest of margins. They suffered a 2-0 defeat to Argentina, which left them at the mercy of Mexico's finishing and discipline. At one stage, Poland were only scheduled to advance by their superior disicplinary record, but a late goal from Saudi Arabia against Mexico allowed them to progress more conventionally. Czeslaw Michniewicz's men have not been convincing at the tournament to date and will need a special performance to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 1982.

The defending champions booked their place in the round of 16 after beating Australia and Denmark in Group D to finish in top spot, despite losing out to Tunisia in their last outing. Didier Deschamps' men will be full of confidence, but will be aware of the threat of Poland and Robert Lewandowski. Defeat to Tunisia highlighted potential weaknesses, but Les Bleus are a force in the World Cup knockout stage and will be primed for another appearance in the quarter-finals.

Hello and welcome to the live commentary of the World Cup round-of-16 clash between France and Poland at the Al Thumama Stadium.

France v Poland Live Commentary, 5/12/22

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