Les Bleus beat a valiant Ukraine in their entry into the 2026 World Cup qualifiers

Les Bleus made no mistake in their entry into the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, beating Ukraine 2-0 on Friday, September 5 in Poland. In a Wroclaw stadium committed to the Ukrainian cause (the Polish city has historical ties to Lviv and hosts some 200,000 refugees), the French team played convincing football, not without trembling in the face of valiant opponents.

The first half was French. In the 10th minute, Michael Olise opened the scoring with an impeccable pass from Bradley Barcola. The Bayern Munich striker, alone in the middle of the penalty area, was able to comfortably slide the ball past Anatoliy Trubin's left post. Les Bleus—who were playing in white tonight—continued to press the Ukrainian goal in an attempt to extend the lead, without success. But it was a treat to watch this team evolve, between highly fluid offensive phases and impeccable defensive work, with the Konaté-Upamecano pairing displaying the serenity of a bonze. On the other side, Ukraine had nothing but courage to offer.

A little more than that after the break. Serhiy Rebrov's men began to get dangerous, gradually raising the temperature in the stands as they gained confidence. They finally set the French box alight in the 65th minute. First, Ibrahima Konaté had to save Artem Dovbyk's header on the line. Then he conceded a dangerous free kick. On the set piece, Maignan had to lie down to prevent the ball from going into the goal before being saved by his crossbar on the second ball.

Les Bleus hunkered down before returning to the attack. Barcola looked like he was going to kill the game off in the 75th minute, perfectly set up by Olise, but the Parisian's shot soared into the Polish sky. In the 82nd minute, deliverance finally arrived: put into orbit by Aurélien Tchouaméni, Kylian Mbappé won his one-on-one against Parisian Illia Zabarnyi, before crucifying the Ukrainian goalkeeper. The die was cast.