Having saved Lionel Messi’s penalty in their final Group C game, Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has hilariously claimed that the only person who can stop Kylian Mbappe at the FIFA World Cup is himself. The Juventus custodian also stated that France is the favourite in the Round of 16 match but he is confident of putting in a strong performance.
Poland lost to Argentina in the final group stage match on Wednesday night but still managed to qualify for the pre-quarters. They finished with the same number of points as Mexico but finished second in the table due to a better goal difference.
Szczesny told reporters after the game that France would be the favourites against Poland in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match.
“They are big favorites, they are one of the best teams in the world, but we will do our best to try to pass this round. The key to stop Mbappé? Myself!”
Meanwhile, France’s coach Didier Deschamps believes Mbappe will perform well at this year’s FIFA World Cup. Following Karim Benzema’s injury, he added, the PSG star needed to step up and deliver:
“He is still a young player, just a bit less than four years ago, but he already did very important things four years ago. Since then he has become more mature and there is now even more recognition for him around the world.”
The reigning world champions easily won two of their three matches at the ongoing tournament, securing their place in the round of 16. They beat Australia and Denmark in their first two games before falling to Tunisia in their final match on Wednesday.
France and Poland will lock horns at the Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday.
