Mbappe pulls off an Owen

Twenty years after Michael Owen scored a stunning solo goal against Argentina, France's Kylian Mbappe staged a similar attack on Saturday.

Published : Jun 30, 2018 23:53 IST

(L) Michael Owen, then 18 years and 198 days old, latched on to a ball from David Beckham and with a casual flick of the heel ran past Roberto Ayala and Jose Chamot before putting it beyond Carlos Roa.
(L) Michael Owen, then 18 years and 198 days old, latched on to a ball from David Beckham and with a casual flick of the heel ran past Roberto Ayala and Jose Chamot before putting it beyond Carlos Roa.
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(L) Michael Owen, then 18 years and 198 days old, latched on to a ball from David Beckham and with a casual flick of the heel ran past Roberto Ayala and Jose Chamot before putting it beyond Carlos Roa.

Kylian Mbappe scored twice in a thrilling 4-3 win against Argentina to send France into the quarterfinals, with his brace matching a 60-year-old record held by Pele.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward’s 70-yard run led to the opener 13 minutes into the game. His devastating pace left Marcos Rojo looking silly before he was hauled down. Antoine Griezmann converted the penalty, before Mbappe scored two later in the game to seal France’s progression.

READ: France knocks Argentina out in seven-goal thriller

The run must have brought back nightmares for Argentina. Twenty years to this day, another teenager ran rings around Argentina’s defence in a round-of-16 game at the World Cup.

Michael Owen, then 18 years and 198 days old, latched on to a ball from David Beckham and with a casual flick of the heel ran past Roberto Ayala and Jose Chamot before putting it beyond Carlos Roa. This was after Owen’s burst of pace earlier in the game won England a penalty.

Owen, in an interview in 2017, said that the goal “changed my life and that is what a World Cup can do for a player.”

ALSO READ: Mbappe goals, pace scorch Argentina

The devastating pace and finish from Owen announced his arrival in the international stage in 1998. Twenty years since, Mbappe has done what Owen did but went a step further by taking his team to the quarterfinals.

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