New Delhi, Sep 6 : Kylian Mbappe equalled legendary forward Thierry Henry's record to become the second-highest scorer in French football.

France strengthened their position in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with a 2-0 victory over Ukraine, highlighted by Kylian Mbappe's latest milestone. The Madrid striker struck in the 82nd minute, finishing off a brilliant long pass from Aurélien Tchouaméni. Accelerating past his marker, Mbappé powered his shot in off the post to seal the win.

"It's an honour to equal a player like Thierry Henry. Everyone knows what he represents for us French people, and even more so for strikers. He paved the way, he achieved incredible things. I have a lot of respect and admiration for him. To reach this kind of milestone so early is surreal, but I like it and I want to keep going. I don't want to stop - above all, I want to keep winning matches and winning more titles,' said Kylian Mbappe to broadcasters TF1.

Earlier, Michael Olise had given France the lead in the 10th minute, setting the tone for a dominant display. But the night belonged to Mbappe, whose goal carried historical significance. With his 51st international strike, he equalled Henry as the second-highest scorer in France's history, moving closer to Olivier Giroud's record tally of 57.

Mbappe played the full 90 minutes and underlined his importance in Didier Deschamps' side. The result further strengthens France's bid to secure direct qualification for the World Cup in North America.

In worrying news, France and Paris Saint Germain forward Ousmane Dembele was subbed off with what seemed to be a hamstring injury. Dembele was rested by PSG on the weekend as precaution and had returned to training for France. His injury comes two weeks ahead of the beginning of the Parisians' UCL title defence.

/IANS