Olivier Giroud:
Say what you want, but you can't take this one away from Giroud. No man has scored more goals for France than the AC Milan striker. Not Thierry Henry, not Michel Platini, not David Trezeguet nor Antoine Griezmann. No one. Not even Mbappe, at least not yet. His goal here wasn't a stunner, although he has had a few of those in his day. A good finish, though, from an Mbappe assist as a lacklustre France team escaped the first half with a one-goal lead thanks to Giroud's effort. He now has 52 international goals to his name, one more than Henry. Few would suggest he's the same calibre of player, but the record books don't care about calibre; they care about goals. Giroud has more than any other France player and if things go right, he may be able to add a few more by the time his stay in Qatar is over.
Kylian Mbappe:
What else can you say? It's something new every game. For most of the match, this wasn't Mbappe's best performance. He was quiet for long stretches, and when he did pick up possession, he was a bit too eager to touch the ball into space that wasn't quite there. It was like he was trying to play too fast, simply because he usually can. His big moments came when he slowed the game down. His assist to Giroud was inch-perfect, putting the ball on a platter for one of the game's best finishers. And then his first goal saw Mbappe take his time before absolutely smashing the ball past Wojciech Szczesny, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way in the process. The third, though, was somehow the best of all. A horrible angle, in-form Szczesny in goal and Mbappe simply didn't care. He just looked up and placed a shot where no keeper in the world could save it. That's Mbappe, isn't it? A player that can dominate games with his speed, his skill or both. He's just so much better than anyone else out there right now. More records and more history are in his future. Good luck stopping him, whoever's next!
Jules Kounde:
We'll start with the chain because, how couldn't you? World Cup last-16 match, biggest game of his life, and Jules Kounde wanted to show off. Good for him. The chain came off in the 41st minute when the referee finally noticed, but Kounde's performance never slowed down. Playing as a right-back, the Barcelona defender basically stays at home and completes a back three. It's a role that seemingly fits this team perfectly, with Theo Hernandez given the freedom to join the attack on the left when opposition defenders inevitably get toasted by Mbappe. Kounde, who mostly plays centrally at club level, hasn't put a foot wrong. He started their second game, a win over Denmark, and has seemingly now locked down that right-back spot ahead of Benjamin Pavard.
