Kylian Mbappe netted from a penalty and Harry Kane extended his England goalscoring record as France and England eased to victories over minnows Gibraltar and Malta in Friday's round of Euro 2024 qualifying.
Paris Saint-Germain striker Mbappe and Tottenham Hotspur forward Kane are almost certain to join new clubs this summer, but they put thoughts of club football out of their minds to put in goalscoring performances for their country.
Mbappe scored France's second from the penalty spot after Olivier Giroud opened the scoring, the AC Milan striker extending his own national record with his 54th goal for Les Bleus.
France captain Mbappe then forced an own-goal from Aymen Mouelhi to complete the scoring after the break as Didier Deschamps' side maintained their 100 per cent record in Euro 2024 qualifying.
"The objective was to win and get the job done but we should have scored more goals," said France coach Deschamps.
"We can always do better and play with more pace but the pitch did not help us.
"I will settle for this and start thinking about Monday which is an important match."
Kane's penalty in a 4-0 romp at Malta made it 56 goals for his table-topping nation in Group C.
England took the lead at Ta’ Qali National Stadium through an early Malta own goal, before Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold – playing in a midfield role for the first time in his Three Lions career – scored a brilliant goal and Kane netted soon after Gareth Southgate’s team.
Callum Wilson's late penalty completed the scoring.
Mbappe had dominated the headlines in the build-up to this game after confirming he would not extend his contract at PSG, which expires next year.
That has raised the prospect of PSG selling their superstar in this transfer window, even if the 24-year-old has said he intends to stay with the French champions next season.
Kane, 29, is also in the final 12 months of his contract and has shown few indications he is willing to talk fresh terms at Tottenham following a disappointing season in which the North London club finished eighth in the Premier League.
Real Madrid have a long-standing interest in signing Mbappe and almost signed the former Monaco player in 2021 while Kane has also emerged as a target this summer following Karim Benzema's decision to leave the Bernabeu to join Saudi Arabia champions Al Ittihad.
Both Mbappe and Kane enjoyed prolific seasons, with France captain Mbappe scoring 41 goals across competitions and Kane netting 32.
France's victory follows wins over the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland in March and leaves them on a maximum nine points from three games in qualifying Group B.
They are three points better off than Greece, who beat Republic of Ireland 2-1 in Athens on Friday and have a game in hand.
France host Greece on Monday, while the Netherlands – currently involved in the Nations League finals – have three points from two games.
England, meanwhile, top Group C following earlier wins over European champions Italy and Ukraine.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')
Leeds United 0
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
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Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
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Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
