On the morning of October 10th, Pacific Time, in the third round of Group D of the European Qualifiers for the World Cup, France faced Azerbaijan at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Mbappé opened the scoring, then assisted Rabiot's goal. Then, after being substituted early due to injury, Thauvin scored the winning goal. France ultimately defeated Azerbaijan 3-0 at home, securing their third consecutive group stage victory and taking the lead.

In the eighth minute of the first half, Azerbaijan's cross from the backcourt was misplaced. Mbappé intercepted the ball, then shot wide with his right foot from the top of the key. In the 10th minute, France's frontcourt continued its momentum, with Gusteau receiving a pass from Mbappé and driving into the penalty area. His shot from a tight angle was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 41st minute, France continued their strong play on the right side. Oliseh and Mbappé played a wall pass before breaking into the penalty area. Oliseh's left-footed shot was blocked by a defender.

In the 47th minute of first-half stoppage time, Mbappé received the ball in midfield and, after escaping four defenders, played a wall pass with Ekitik near the edge of the box. He then broke through and fired a low right-footed shot into the far corner, giving France a 1-0 lead.

At halftime, France led Azerbaijan 1-0 thanks to Mbappé's goal.

In the 49th minute of the second half, France pressed hard in the frontcourt and stole the ball. Ekitik then won the ball near the penalty area, dribbled past the defense, and drove into the box. His shot from a tight angle was blocked by the goalkeeper. In the 62nd minute, France sent a through ball from the left flank, and Mbappé's high-speed shot from a tight angle hit the side netting. In the 65th minute, France launched a swift counterattack. Mbappé received the ball in midfield and raced into the opponent's penalty area. His right-footed shot was blocked by a defender and hit the post. In the 67th minute, France launched an attack from the right flank. Thuram's long-range shot from just outside the penalty area went over the crossbar.

In the 69th minute, France scored again. A corner kick from the right side was sent towards the center of the penalty area. Azerbaijan's clearance fell to Mbappé at the back post. After a brief adjustment, Mbappé crossed for Rabiot to head home, giving France a 2-0 lead.

In the 81st minute, Mbappé was knocked down during a challenge and subsequently unable to continue due to injury, prompting a substitution.

In the 84th minute, France scored again. Starting from the left flank, Theo Deportivo crossed from the bottom line. Substitute Thauvin, who came on as a substitute, took the ball with his left foot in the penalty area and then connected with a left-footed volley to score, giving France a 3-0 lead.

Neither team was able to create any threatening attacks after that, and France defeated Azerbaijan 3-0 at home, securing their third consecutive victory in the group stage and taking the lead.

Starting lineups for both teams:

• France (4-4-2): 16-Maignan / 22-Theo, 4-Upamecano, 17-Saliba, 2-Gusteau / 7-Coman (79th minute, 18-Nkunku), 14-Rabiot (70th minute, 12-Akliushe), 19-Kevren Thuram, 11-Olisseh (70th minute, 6-Camavinga) / 10-Mbappé (83rd minute, 20-Thavan), 9-Ekitik (79th minute, 13-Matheta)
• Azerbaijan (5-4-1): 1-Shakrudin / 3-Zafakulev, 5-Krivoseuuk, 4-Mustafazada, 14-Badalov, 21-Aliyev (70th minute, 2-Mammadov) / 11-Akhmedzadeh (61st minute) 22-Kurbanli), 15-Haybraev (78 minutes 6-Khachayev), 8-Mamudov, 17-Bayamov (78 minutes 16-Dashdamirov) / 10-Emreli (70 minutes 19-Akhonzad)