Sefa Writes: Mbappe exorcises Lusail’s ghost in Real Madrid triumph

A second bite at the cherry, Kylian? Absolutely! Not often do we see this play out, but on Wednesday, Mbappe exorcised the ghost of the past!

Two years to the day when Mbappe single-handedly kept France believing defending the World Cup was possible, the 25-year-old had his shot at redemption.

Although he was representing Real Madrid, Qatar’s iconic Lusail Stadium is one that Mbappe pretty much knows at heart.

Experiencing highs and lows, Mbappe went through every possible emotional mangle there was when he played on the ground two years ago.

France trailed 2-0 against Argentina in the final of the World Cup at halftime. Didier Deschamps’ decision to haul off Giroud and Dembele before the break told the story.

Mbappe decided to go down memory lane at the interval and make the fixture his own.

Since Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick in the 1966 final for England, no player had managed to score three times in the final of a World Cup game.

After 118 minutes, that had changed as Mbappe wheeled away yet again, cavorting as he pulled France back into the game.

The striker set a ridiculously lofty standard in the final after he scored his fourth goal, albeit from the spot in the shootout.

However, his one-man rescue mission was not enough as Argentina beat France 4-2 to the Cup.

A distraught Mbappe, at least, had something in hand on his way out of the stadium and Qatar, as his eight goals made him the top scorer in the tournament, plus earning a silver ball for his recognition as the second-best player.

The crowning moment for Mbappe would have been the global crown that eluded the forward.

But on Wednesday, almost a replica of his second goal at the World Cup, he scored Real’s first and provided an assist en route to their International Cup success.

A puff of the cheek and a sigh of relief from the forward—almost indicative of letting out pent-up emotions, catharsis—he gesticulated at full time.

Mbappe has now won two trophies with Real Madrid since joining in the summer and will be aiming for more.

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