Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick, and eight teammates also found the net in a 14-0 victory against Gibraltar in the Euro 2024 qualifiers on the evening of November 18.
- Goals: Santos own goal 3′, M. Thuram 5′, Zaire-Emery 16′, Mbappe 30′ (pen), 74′ & 82′, Clauss 35′, Coman 36′ & 66′, Fofana 37′, Rabiot 63′, Dembele 73′, Giroud 89′ & 90’+1.
This is the most significant margin of victory in the history of the Euro qualifiers, breaking the previous record set by Germany’s 13-0 win over San Marino in 2006. They have never won by such a large margin in French football history.
The match statistics further highlighted France’s dominance. The home team had 73% possession and attempted 39 shots with 20 on target, while Gibraltar’s numbers were not as rounded.
Within the first four minutes, an own goal by Ethan Santos and a close-range header by Marcus Thuram gave France a two-goal lead. In the 16th minute, debutant Warren Zaire-Emery scored from a right-wing cross by King Coman, making it 3-0. Santos received a direct red card after a VAR check when he committed a foul while attempting to shoot towards the goal.
Reduced to 10 men, Gibraltar crumbled before the attacking prowess of the World Cup 2022 runners-up. Before halftime, Kylian Mbappe, Jonathan Clauss, Coman, and substitute Youssouf Fofana added four more goals for France. Adrien Rabiot and Coman completed the rout in the second half with two more goals.
Ousmane Dembele, who came on for Coman in the 67th minute, needed only six minutes to score a solo goal, bringing the score to 10-0. A minute later, Mbappe added his second goal. In the 82nd minute, the team captain lobbed the ball from 40 meters over the goalkeeper’s head, completing his hat-trick.
With this performance, Mbappe moved up to third on the list of France’s all-time top scorers with 46 goals, surpassing Antoine Griezmann in fourth place by two goals. The current leader of the list, Olivier Giroud, also contributed with two goals in the 89th and 90+1st minutes, including a scissor-kick to seal the 14-0 victory. The AC Milan striker now has 56 goals for the national team, surpassing Thierry Henry by five goals and Mbappe by 10 goals.
After this win, France tops Group B with 21 points from seven matches, scoring 27 goals and conceding only one. In this group, the Netherlands secured qualification for the second round with 15 points, leaving Greece three points behind in third place, based on head-to-head performance. The qualifiers have only one more round to go.
Gibraltar’s football association was established in 1895, predating the formation of FIFA. It is also one of the ten oldest football associations in the world that are still in existence. However, they were only recognized by the UEFA in 2013. With a population of around 30,000, Gibraltar is the smallest member of the UEFA in terms of population.
Overall, in 83 official matches in their history, Gibraltar has won eight, drawn nine, and lost 66.
