France 2-1 Iceland: Mbappe surpasses Henry in cagey comeback win
Kylian Mbappe became France's second-highest goalscorer of all time on Tuesday, as his side held on to beat Iceland 2-1.
Kylian Mbappe is now ahead of Thierry Henry on France’s list of all-time top scorers as Didier Deschamps' side beat Iceland 2-1 in a dramatic World Cup qualifier.
Aurelien Tchouameni was sent off midway through the second half at the Parc des Princes, where Andri Gudjohnsen thought he had snatched a last-gasp leveller, only to be frustrated by a VAR review.
Iceland took an unlikely lead when Gudjohnsen netted from close range in the 21st minute, following Michael Olise’s error.
However, France responded on the stroke of half-time as Mbappe scored from the spot after the hosts were awarded a penalty when Marcus Thuram was fouled by Mikael Anderson.
France completed the turnaround through Bradley Barcola’s simple finish just after the hour, before Tchouameni's red card for a dangerous challenge on Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson catapulted the game into uncertainty.
The visitors thought they had registered a late equaliser when Gudjohnsen bundled past Mike Maignan, but VAR deemed that a foul was committed on Ibrahima Konate in the build-up.
Les Bleus’ tight win puts them top of Group D with maximum points from their two matches.
Data Debrief: Just Giroud to beat for Mbappe
Real Madrid star Mbappe is now on 52 international goals, which trails only Olivier Giroud (57) in France's all-time charts.
Not only did Mbappe score, but he also grabbed the assist for Barcola's winner. His 16 touches in Iceland's box and five shots, meanwhile, saw him lead the game in both metrics.
France have now won their last five World Cup qualifiers, their longest winning streak in such matches since Opta began recording such data in 2010. They are also unbeaten in World Cup qualifiers since June 2019.
And despite Iceland's late flurry, France will feel they were worthy winners, given they accumulated 3.15 expected goals (xG) to Iceland's 0.64.
