France Breaks Champions Curse, After Becoming The First Team To Qualify To The Next Round Of The 2022 World Cup.

France lifts the champion's curse, as they become the first World Cup reigning champions to qualify for the Round of 16 since Brazil in 2006.

𝙇𝙚𝙨 𝘽𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙨 are also the first team to qualify for the next round in the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup.

France overcame Denmark 2-1 in their second group game at the Stadium 974 on Saturday evening courtesy of two Kylian Mbappe strikes.

Having scored in France opening 4-1 victory against Australia, the 23-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward continued his superb start to the tournament by going a step further to grab a brace against the Danes. 

Following a goalless first-half encounter, Mbappé broke the deadlock just past the hour mark, exchanging a fine one-two with Theo Hernandez before stroking in.

Andreas Christensen levelled the game after heading home as the French were defensively poor from clearing a Christian Eriksen corner.

Both teams had chances to win it late on but it was Mbappe that provided the decisive moment, as his clinical touch showed again when he bundled the home from Antoine Griezmann cross with four minutes remaining.

With his brace, he has now scored 14 goals in France's last 12 matches, helping the team to win a sixth straight World Cup games for the first time.

Mbappe has a total of seven goals at the World Cup and has now overtaken the great Thierry Henry for second place behind Just Fontaine among the all-time scorers for France.

His seven goals in two World Cup appearances, has seen him equalled Lionel Messi World Cup goals for Argentina, and one less than Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo. .

It's Mbappe's 31 international goals, as he is rapidly closing in on Giroud and Henry's record 51-goal mark. 

France are now guaranteed to finish as Group D winner, barring no six-goal swing with Australia in the final set of fixtures.

Denmark have to beat second-placed Australia in their final group game on Wednesday to go through but would also need Tunisia not to win against France.

The defending champions failing to qualify from the group stage so far; 

❌ 2002: 🇫🇷 France

✅ 2006: 🇧🇷 Brazil

❌ 2010: 🇮🇹 Italy

❌ 2014: 🇪🇸 Spain

❌ 2018: 🇩🇪 Germany

✅ 2022: 🇫🇷 France