PARIS :France kept celebrations restrained after qualifying for the 2026 World Cup with a 4-0 win over Ukraine on Thursday, with captain Kylian Mbappe saying the emotional weight of the evening — the 10th anniversary of the November 13, 2015 attacks — mattered more than the result.

Coach Didier Deschamps also underlined that reaching the finals was simply where Les Bleus are expected to be.

Mbappe, who scored twice and put France in control with a penalty, said: “Very proud to be there, even if it wasn’t the most important thing of the evening — the most important part was the commemoration.”

Deschamps said the performance was professional rather than spectacular, but enough to complete the mission.

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