DOHA, Dec 3, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - There is arguably no more thrilling player at

this World Cup than Kylian Mbappe, who leads France into their last-16 clash
on Sunday with a Poland side whose own hopes of pulling off a famous upset
will depend to a large extent on Robert Lewandowski.

It is a sobering thought that Mbappe, not 24 until later this month, may not
yet be at the peak of his powers but he has already scored seven goals in 10
appearances at the World Cup.

That tally includes one in the 2018 final when he was still a teenager as
France beat Croatia in Moscow.

His mission now is to help his country become the first to retain the World
Cup since Brazil, with an even younger Pele, did so in 1962.

Mbappe has already scored three times in Qatar, including a brace in a 2-1
victory against Denmark that secured qualification for the last 16, and there
is a belief he is thriving as the undisputed star of Didier Deschamps' side.

The situation is different to that of Paris Saint-Germain, where he shares
the limelight with Lionel Messi and Neymar, and in that sense it may be that
Karim Benzema's withdrawal due to injury on the eve of the tournament does no
harm to French hopes.

"Kylian has no ego," insisted Deschamps a few days ago, going against the
perception of Mbappe in the context of PSG.

"He is a decisive player for us and his performances put him in the
spotlight. He is not 18 anymore. He has experience now."

It wasn't just Mbappe -- who now has as many international goals as Zinedine
Zidane -- that France missed as a second-string team lost 1-0 to Tunisia on
Wednesday, a result that did not stop them topping their group.

He will be back along with the likes of Hugo Lloris, Antoine Griezmann and
Olivier Giroud as France and Poland meet at a major tournament for the first
time since the 1982 World Cup.

- 'Beyond reproach' -

"Kylian is not the same player or person as in 2018," said Griezmann on
Friday when asked about Mbappe's role in a squad hit by injuries to several
key players before the tournament.

"He is much more a part of the squad now. He speaks a lot and has fun. He
knows that the media, fans and even his teammates will be watching everything
that he does but he is beyond reproach."
France are clear favourites for Sunday's game but there is the memory of what
happened in the last 16 at last year's European Championship, when Mbappe
missed the crucial penalty in a shoot-out defeat to Switzerland.

Poland only just scraped through their group ahead of Mexico on goal
difference and Lewandowski's strike -- his first World Cup goal -- in the win
over Saudi Arabia was therefore crucial.

"I'm aware it might be my last World Cup and I wanted to be able to say that
I've played and scored at World Cups," he said after that game.

The 34-year-old also got nine goals in qualifying and there is nobody else
quite on his level in Czeslaw Michniewicz's squad.

"We are happy because getting out of the group was our objective," said
defender Jakub Kiwior after the team trained on Friday.

Seeing Mbappe and Lewandowski together on the same pitch is a rare treat.

Two of the most prolific forwards in the modern game, they are nevertheless
different types of striker -- one all about explosive pace coming into the
box from wide areas, and the other the ultimate penalty-box finisher now
coming towards the end of his career.

Lewandowski left Bayern Munich for Barcelona in the last close season, but
according to reports in France he might have ended up at PSG.

Le Parisien reported on Friday that PSG tried to convince Lewandowski to join
them after tying Mbappe to a new contract in May.

PSG's failure to sign Lewandowski or another top-class number nine was given
as one reason why Mbappe was reportedly so unhappy at his club just a couple
of months ago.

Those reports have since died down and his focus is on the World Cup, with
Lewandowski now standing in his way.