By Julien Pretot
PARIS (Reuters) -France's expertise in qualifying was in full display again as they booked a spot for their eighth consecutive World Cup after a Kylian Mbappe double helped to secure a 4-0
home victory against Ukraine on Thursday.
Les Bleus, who are unbeaten in a Euro or World Cup qualifying game since 2019, will be seeded when the draw for the June 11-July 19 tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada is made on December 5. Next year's finals will be coach Didier Deschamps’s last in charge.
Captain Mbappe found the back of the net twice in the second half of an emotionally charged game that was played on the 10th anniversary of attacks that killed 130 people in Paris.
He scored either side of Michael Olise’s 76th-minute goal, before Hugo Ekitike added a late fourth.
France top Europe's Group D with 13 points from five games and have an unassailable six-point lead over second-placed Iceland. They will face bottom-placed Azerbaijan in their final qualifier on Sunday.
Deschamps's team threatened twice in the first half, first when Mbappe let fly from distance in the 17th minute.
The forward's low, left-footed effort looked destined for the far corner but goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin reacted sharply, diving to his left to palm it away for a corner.
Bradley Barcola went even closer in the 41st minute after cutting inside from the left flank and curling a right-footed shot towards the far post. Trubin stretched again, tipping the ball with his fingertips onto the woodwork.
Les Bleus were finally rewarded for their domination in the 55th minute when Mbappe converted a penalty with a clever chip in the middle of goal after Michael Olise had been tripped in the area.
France kept pushing, with Mbappe twice threatening in quick succession.
In the 58th minute he stabbed a tight-angle effort wide from the left, before forcing Trubin into another save five minutes later when the Ukraine goalkeeper dropped low to his right to hold a powerful strike.
Hugo Ekitike then struck the post after being played through by Olise, while substitute Maghnes Akliouche almost scored with his first touch in the 69th minute, only for Trubin to block his close-range attempt with his feet.
Seven minutes later, Olise made it 2-0 with a nice shot on the turn after being set up by N'Golo Kante.
Mbappe put the result beyond doubt in the 83rd minute after Ekitike’s attempt was parried by Trubin into his way and the striker just had to slam it in.
Five minutes later, Ekitike played a fine one-two with Mbappe to score his first France goal with a clinical low shot.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Christian Radnedge)
