Kylian Mbappé fired France into the World Cup with two goals – reaching 400 in his career – in the 4-0 win over Ukraine. Didier Deschamps’ side dictated the tempo from start to finish, blending patient, structured circulation with explosive final-third combinations. Despite Ukraine’s deep 5-3-2 block and disciplined defensive effort, France’s multi-layered positional play—particularly […]

Having had the upper hand in the chase for the final qualifying spot, Italy would have forced Ukraine to crack the catenaccio in the past. Their approach to this clash was not reliant on a rugged rearguard, but a third clean sheet of the calendar year arrived in a timely manner. Tactical analysis and match […]

Luciano Spalletti has opened his Italy account with a solid victory against Ukraine. The hosts looked in complete control in the first half, and even though Ukraine halved the deficit, they managed to maintain their lead until the final whistle, which is a marked improvement from their previous game against North Macedonia. Tactical analysis and […]