France 3-1 Poland: World Cup 2022, last 16 – live

More importantly, we have the verdict of Tim Greer’s girlfriend on Australia’s 1991 kit: “She says it’s pretty good for going out raving but not for playing football.”

France will play England or Senegal in the quarter-final. You can follow that emotional rollercoaster with Scott Murray.

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Oh, Arsene

Mbappe and Lewandowski embrace at the final whistle, and yes I probably am too old to use the phrase ‘game recognising game’.

It was a comfortable win for France in the end, though Poland made them work. Olivier Giroud’s record-breaking goal just before half-time opened the door, and Kylian Mbappe marched through it with two scorchers in the second half. And just look what it means.

That was the last kick of the game.

Lewandowski sends Lloris the wrong way to get his second goal of the tournament. No clean sheet for Lloris on his big day, but a nice way for Lewandowski to say ta-ra.

Lloris was off his line, so that’s fair enough. It was an awful penalty, mind, and Lewandowski has now asked for the ball to be changed!

Penalty to Poland! And a chance for Robert Lewandowski to end his World Cup story with a goal.

VAR check for a Poland penalty! Grosicki’s cross hits the outstretched arm of Upamecano, and the referee is going to the monitor. This will be given. Upamecano had his back turned but this is the kind of decision referees have to give these days.

90+5 min “My girlfriend works in fashion and has no interest in football,” says Tim Greer. “However she did comment on the French kit, she said she is particularly taken by the shade of blue, the zip on the top which is very modern and the red socks, so there you go.”

Can you ask her what she thinks of Australia’s 1991 kit?

90+4 min Milik hits the outside of the post with a lovely overhead kick, though it wouldn’t have counted as he was offside.

90+4 min I thought, watching Mbappe against Denmark, that there was just a hint – a suggestion, a soupçon – of Diego Maradona in 1986. He needs to do it at the business end to validate such a comparison, but he really does look in the mood.

90+3 min Axel Disasi comes on for Jules Kounde.

90+2 min Lewandowski misses a terrific chance to dirty France’s sheet, bobbling a snapshot wide from 12 yards. He should have scored.

It’s another belting goal, his fifth of the tournament. He was in a similar position to the first goal when a received a pass from Thuram, maybe a bit closer – but this time he smashed a curler towards the far top corner. Szczesny got a touch, which was an achievement in itself, but couldn’t keep it out.

Kylian Mbappe has seen Lionel Messi’s performance and raised it.

90 min “I too am a fan of the French kit, the dark blue maybe copying the change to the blue on the French flag,” says Thomas Meehan. “The Australian gold-green-white gets high marks from me as well. Interesting that the departed German shirt was popular, especially on these boards. I’m not a fan, I much prefer the simple white-black as per 1974. I really liked their old green away shirt, though you don’t see it much anymore.”

I loved the one they wore at Wembley in 1991. If you found a box of those in the DFB attic, you’d be a very rich person.

88 min Thuram runs the weary Cash, who is a split-second late with his tackle. Yellow card for Cash.

87 min: Double substitution for Poland Jan Bednarek and Kamil Grosicki come on for Jakub Kiwior, who was sadly at fault for the crucial first goal, and Przemyslaw Frankowski.

85 min “On the notion that this French team is worse than 1998-2002, I would point to the fact that this lineup is missing its entire starting midfield from the last final, its starting left-back and its Ballon d’Or-winning striker, along with 3-4 other players,” says Abhyudaya Tyagi. “And they still look like one of the best teams in the tournament. I doubt the same could be said for the 98-02 team.”

I’d agree with everything you say, except the last sentence. They were one of the first national teams who relied on their depth. Both goals in the Euro 2000 final were scored by substitutes, for eg, and their reserves almost beat the hosts, the Netherlands, in the final group game.

84 min The game is petering out now.

83 min “In stark contrast to Ayew’s penalty for Ghana, when Mbappe took his first touch in the box I knew the ball was going to hit the back of the net,” says Matt Burtz. “I just didn’t know which part of the net. Fantastic finish.”

82 min After another pulse-quickening dribble from Mbappe, Hernandez shoots over on the turn.

80 min So, France will play either England or Senegal in the last quarter-final on Saturday. Win that and they will meet Spain, Portugal, Morocco or Switzerland in the semis.

79 min Like Australia and the USA, Poland will go home wrestling with what-ifs, most notably that triple chance before half-time. But I’m sure they’ll get an infinitely reception than they would have done had Mexico scored a third on Wednesday night.

76 min: Double substitution Kingsley Coman and Marcus Thuram replace Ousmane Dembele and Old Man Giroud, who just keeps rolling along.

That was a vicious finish. Giroud produced the most glorious first touch to kill an up-and-under clearance from Hernandez, then gave the ball to Dembele on the right. He cut inside and slid the ball across to Mbappe, in space on the edge of the area. Mbappe moved inside, shaped to shoot across goal and then blistered a rising drive past Szczesny at the near post. Just brilliant. It’s Mbappe’s fourth goal of the tournament, which puts him ahead of the pack in the race for the Golden Boot.

Kylian Mbappe has been desperate to score all game, and he’s finally done so with a belter.

74 min “I wonder whether France have ever dominated a single match at a major tournament for the whole 90 minutes,” says Dominik Zezula. “I mean under Deschamps. It always feels like they just flip a switch on, score (or come close), then relax. Switzerland would never beat them at the Euros had France stayed on top of their game for the whole match.

“For a team that has won a World Cup they sure do look beatable, yet they rarely lose. Kind of like Zidane’s Real Madrid a few years back.”

I know what you mean. Even at Euro 2000, they had such aura and class that it always felt like they were going to win the whole thing. Yet they needed a last-minute penalty miss from Raul to beat Spain, a brilliant last-minute save from Barthez to take Portugal to extra-time, and an injury-time equaliser from Wiltord to survive against Italy in the final.

72 min Zielinski’s free-kick is headed well over by Glik, leaping backwards beyond the far post. A very difficult chance.

71 min: Double substition for Poland Krystian Bielik and Nicola Zalewski replace Jakub Kaminski and Grzegorz Krychowiak.