Desert Fest: Mbappe the game changer

France's Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring their second goal. Photo: Reuters

Lending credence to the idea that fate itself would conspire against the holders in the group stages -- as was the case with Italy in 2010, Spain in 2014, and Germany in 2018 -- was the fact that reigning champions France were suddenly being ravaged by injuries ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

It almost felt undeniable when Ballon d'Or holder Karim Benzema was ruled out at the eleventh hour, injured while training in Doha, to add to a list that included World Cup-winning midfielders Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante.

Fortunately, not only did Les Blues show how talent-heavy they were with an injection of the brightest young stars in the world and canter through the group stage, the chaotic background suited the best of the bunch, Kylian Mbappe. Unlike any other in the world, the 23-year-old does not like sharing the stage, at least unless it is made clear that he is the main man.

But the expectations of Mbappe are rare. The greatest players of his generation, including his idol Cristiano Ronaldo, have relentlessly chased an elusive World Cup while Mbappe has already won football's greatest prize, in 2018 while becoming the youngest to score in the final since Pele.

He also knows that international trophies are rarely on offer and things can go wrong at a moment's notice, as in Euro 2020 when Mbappe did not score a goal, missed a crucial penalty, and publicly had a war of words with Benzema. He was targeted by racist attacks afterwards which left him reconsidering his international future.

But none of that affected him on the pitch. Mbappe scored 39 goals for PSG last season, as well as scoring 11 goals in 11 games for France between the Euros and 2022 World Cup.

Now, months after the cloud he left hanging over French football prompted a conversation with France president Emmanuel Macron, Mbappe wants to set the tone. Not least because the kind of arrogance he has demands that he begins the chase of Pele's record three World Cups by getting a second of his own. Only Brazil, in 1962, and Italy, in 1934, managed to defend the World Cup.

In the group stages in 2022, France and Brazil were the only teams to have progression guaranteed by virtue of two wins from their two games. Mbappe notched a goal and an assist against Australia, and against Denmark, he showed he was more than just the most explosive player in the world while scoring both goals in a 2-1 win.

As a result, he played just 18 minutes in a 1-0 loss in their final group game with Tunisia. Interestingly, Brazil also lost their final group game with a second-string side, meaning no team has had a 100 per cent record in the group stages of a World Cup for the first time since 1994.

Still, Mbappe leads almost every major statistical attacking category. Underlining why he electrifies crowds is the fact that he has had 32 touches in the opposition area, more than any other player, despite his relatively low 148 total minutes.

His 19 touches in Australia's box was the highest number by a player at a World Cup since 1970 -- when Italy's Gigi Rivaa and German giants Uwe Seeler and Gerd Müller all hit 19. His direct involvement also led to 25 attempts at goal, either by Mbappe or immediately after he passed.

Australia full-back Nathaniel Atkinson, who was hounded by Mbappe in that opening game, summed up the predicament defenders face: "You give him one step, and he's gone. As a team, you can always come up with a plan. But if it's one-v-one, he gets the better of you."

Mbappe only has four more games, starting against Poland tonight, till he hits his target and while there are doubts about how far France can go without developing a Plan B, Didier Deschamps has made things clear about where their hopes lay, saying: "I knew that Mbappe was going to be ready for this World Cup. This is his competition. He knows how to make a difference."