France 3-0 Azerbaijan - Kylian Mbappe scores again and Florian Thauvin nets on return as Les Blues cruise to victory in World Cup qualifier

France moved closer to automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup with a comfortable 3-0 win over Azerbaijan in Paris.

Kylian Mbappe scored his 53rd goal for Les Blues, moving him to within four of Olivier Giroud’s record, before Adrien Rabiot and substitute Florian Thauvin sealed victory in the second half.

France endured a frustrating first half, with Azerbaijan’s well-organised defence restricting them to very few chances – until Mbappe took matters into his own hands with a glorious solo goal on the stroke of half-time.

Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike, making his first start for France, hit the post just after the break before Rabiot headed Mbappe’s cross past Sahruddin Mehemmedeliyev in the 69th minute.

Mbappe went off as a precaution, to be replaced by Lens forward Thauvin, making his first appearance since 2019. It was a fairytale return: moments after coming on, Thauvin finished superbly from Theo Hernandez’s cross.

France have a five-point lead over Ukraine – who beat Iceland 5-3 in a thrilling game in Reykjavik – with three games remaining in Group D. They could seal qualification as early as Monday, when they play in Iceland and Ukraine meet Azerbaijan.

A likelier scenario is that they will have to wait until they host Ukraine in November. Either way, France, who last failed to qualify in 1994, are cruising towards an eighth straight World Cup finals appearance.

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An easy win for France in the end. Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring with a gorgeous solo run, Adrien Rabiot headed the second and Florian Thauvin capped it off with a fairytale return to international football.

Azerbaijan have fought hard but they look tired now and will be glad to hear the final whistle.

It's now Iceland 3-5 Ukraine in the other Group D match. If it stays like that, France - who also play in Reykjavik on Monday - will be less likely to secure qualification for the World Cup in this international break.

GOAL! FRANCE 3-0 AZERBAIJAN (THAUVIN) Who writes Florian Thauvin's scripts? Less than a minute after coming on to play his first international in six years, he scores a superb goal to make it 3-0 - one Mbappe would have been proud to call his own. Theo Hernandez's cross was slightly behind Thauvin, who controlled it deftly on the volley and hooked an acrobatic finish past Magomedaliyev. What a charming moment.

Kylian Mbappe signals to the bench that he needs to come off after a challenge from Khaibulaev. He's not in obvious pain but clearly felt something and is being replaced by Florian Thauvin, who wins his first cap since 2019. It's probably a precaution with Mbappe.

Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta, aged 28, comes on for his international debut, one of four changes in this substitution window.

The other match in Group D is a cracker: Iceland 3-3 Ukraine. Fiorentina's Albert Gudmundsson has just equalized for Iceland.

Azerbaijan almost pull one back when the substitute Mammadov controls a free-kick deftly on the chest before flicking just over the bar.

GOAL! FRANCE 2-0 AZERBAIJAN (RABIOT) It was only a temporary reprieve for Azerbaijan. The resulting corner was half cleared to Mbappe, who floated a hanging cross to the far post. Rabiot got up first and powered a downward header into the net. Good finish.

After a long spell of French possession, Khephren Thuram swishes a snapshot from the edge of the area that is touched over by the flying Magomedaliyev. That's his best save of the night.

Mbappe leads a France break, running half the length of the field before hitting a shot that deflects off Mustafazade and brushes the roof of the net. Vital defending again from Mustafazade, who punches the air in celebration.

Rabiot is booked for a foul on Gurbanli; that looked a bit harsh.

Theo Hernandez slices a pass through the inside-left channel for Mbappe, who screws a first-time shot into the side netting. Magomedaliyev had it covered.

Musa Gurbanli comes on for Rustam Akhmedzade.

Ekitike, who has been terrific in the second half, goes over after a clumsy challenge from Krivotsyuk. The referee decides there's nothing in it.

Mbappe has two shots in the space of a few seconds, both blocked by Mustafazade.

Azerbaijan were in control defensively for much of the first half but it has been a different story since the break. Their players are starting to look tired and France are finding pockets of space more easily.