World Cup 2022: Takeaways from Matchday 15
Day 15 of the FIFA World Cup 2022 was a day for breaking and chasing records as France and England punched their tickets to the quarterfinals, ending the campaigns of Poland and Senegal in the process.
Plenty can be highlighted from the matches on the day. Here are some takeaways for our OBSERVER ONLINE readers.
1. Giroud deserves some love
Olivier Giroud put France in the lead against Poland in the 44th minute and in the process surpassed Thiery Henry to become all-time top scorer for Les Bleus with 52 goals. Its a fantastic achievement for the underappreciated Giroud.
2. Amazing Kylian
Kylian Mbappe, after two thunderous goals against Poland, now has nine World Cup goals, becoming the first player to record as many under the age of 24. The previous record was seven by Brazilian legend Pele. He is also the youngest player to score five knockout stage goals since Pele in 1958. Mbappe leads the golden boot race at the tournament with five goals.
3. Harry Kane targets Rooney’s record
With his first goal of the World Cup in Qatar, Harry Kane has moved to second on the all-time scoring list for England with 52 goals, one goal behind leader Wayne Rooney. In addition, he has scored more major tournament goals than any England player. Kane won the golden boot at the 2018 World Cup in Russia with six goals.
4. Bellingham, pure class
Jude Bellingham became the first to score a goal and provide an assist at a World Cup before turning 20 years old. This has not been done since Lionel Messi at the 2006 tournament in Germany.