Mbappé's France beats Ukraine to start World Cup qualifying

GENEVA (AP) — Kylian Mbappé was back in World Cup action on Friday, scored again and this time France won.

France beat Ukraine 2-0 in neutral Poland to open their qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup. It was Les Bleus' and Mbappé’s first game in the competition since his hat trick in that epic loss to Lionel Messi and Argentina in the 2022 final when they were defending champions.

Mbappé used pace and skill to elude Ukraine defender Illia Zabarnyi in the 82nd minute to extend a lead earned in the 10th by Michael Olise, and navigate what looks the toughest of France's six qualifying group games.

“We had a lot to lose so it’s very good to begin the qualifying campaign with this victory,” France coach Didier Deschamps told broadcaster TF1.

Also in the group, Iceland won at home to Azerbaijan 5-0 and next goes to Paris to play France on Tuesday.

Mbappé has never played at a World Cup that Italy qualified for, and the four-time champion got an essential 5-0 home win over Estonia seeking to end its absence from the biggest stage since 2014.

Italy avoided losing more ground to group leader Norway, which did not play Friday, though it took until a 20th goal attempt and 58 minutes to break the deadlock through a Moise Kean header. In the same group, Israel won at Moldova 4-0.

Switzerland and Greece got off to fast starts to their qualifying campaigns, racing to four-goal leads at halftime.

Switzerland ended as a 4-0 winner over Kosovo and Greece beat Belarus 5-1 after highly touted 17-year-old Kostas Karetsas took less than three minutes to score in his World Cup qualifying debut.

Sweden was twice pegged back in a 2-2 draw at Slovenia — which leveled for the second time in the 90th — while leaving Liverpool’s record new signing Alexander Isak on the bench after his delayed start to the season.

Croatia, a beaten finalist and semifinalist at the past two World Cups, won at the Faeroe Islands by just 1-0 for a third straight win. The group-leading Czech Republic won at Montenegro 2-0.

Denmark was held to 0-0 at home by Scotland in the group that Greece now leads.

Only first-place teams in the 12 European qualifying groups in November advance direct to the finals tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Runners-up go to playoff brackets in March.

His 51st career goal for France tied Thierry Henry’s career total in 32 fewer games. Only Olivier Giroud with 57 has more.

“Big up, Titi. But I want to overtake you now," Mbappé quipped. "No, it’s an honor.”

This goal was made at Real Madrid. Mbappé took a long pass from deep in the France half by his club teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni before outclassing Illia Zabarnyi, the new Paris Saint-Germain signing.

Two minutes earlier, Zabarnyi’s club teammate Ousmane Dembélé limped off with what seemed to be a right hamstring injury just 12 days before PSG begins the defense of its Champions League title. Dembélé lasted less than 35 minutes on the France wing after going on for the second half.

France survived a wild two minutes midway through the second half. Ibrahima Konaté’s header from under the crossbar stopped Artem Dovbyk’s looping header leveling the score, then Ukraine struck the post of France’s goal.

A shot across the goalmouth was deviated by the head of Zabarnyi standing in front of goal and the ball rebounded hard and fast to safety.

Ukraine staged the game in neutral Poland, at Wroclaw, because of security concerns at home during the full military invasion by Russia.

In new coach Gennaro Gattuso's first game in charge, since the firing of Luciano Spalletti, the 2006 World Cup-winning midfielder looked to be facing another embarrassment in World Cup qualifying for the Azzurri.

Italy finally broke the resistance of Estonia goalkeeper Karl Jakob Hein when Moise Kean rose to score with a header just before the hour.

Mateo Retegui, the Argentina-born forward, made it 2-0 on his return to the Atalanta stadium that was his home last season and got a second in the closing minutes.

Italy plays Israel in neutral Hungary on Monday, one day before Norway hosts Moldova aiming for a fifth straight win. The one guaranteed ticket to North America next year could yet be decided in the last group game — Italy-Norway on Nov. 16 in Milan.

The start of a finely balanced qualifying group went perfectly for Switzerland — a first-half rout of a tricky Kosovo opponent, while Slovenia and Sweden took points off each other in Ljubljana.

Manuel Akanji soared at a corner to head the opening goal in the 22nd, and the best of Breel Embolo's two goals in Basel was a deft, backheel flick just before halftime. The impressive 2024 European Championship quarterfinalist is looking good again.

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Slovienian players celebrate after scoring an equalizer during the World Cup qualifying soccer match between Slovenia and Sweden at the Stozice stadium in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Slovenian players celebrate after a goal during the World Cup qualifying soccer match between Slovenia and Sweden at the Stozice stadium in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Italy's head coach Gennaro Gattuso, right, speak to Alessandro Tonali during a World Cup qualifying soccer match between Italy and Estonia, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Bergamo, Italy. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Switzerland's Breel Embolo, left, scores his side's 4:0 against Kosovo's Lumbardh Dellova, goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and Amir Rrahmani, from left, during the 2026 World Cup Group B qualifying soccer match between Switzerland and Kosovo at the St. Jakob-Park stadium in Basel, Switzerland, on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (Georgios Kefalas/Keystone via AP)

France's Kylian Mbappe reacts after missing a scoring chance during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying soccer match between Ukraine and France at Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Ukraine fans wait for the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying soccer match between Ukraine and France at Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

France's Kylian Mbappe, left, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying soccer match between Ukraine and France at Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado discussed her country's future with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, even though he has dismissed her credibility to take over after an audacious U.S. military raid captured then-President Nicolás Maduro.

Trump has raised doubts about his stated commitment to backing democratic rule in Venezuela and signaled his willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who was Maduro’s No. 2. Along with others in the deposed leader’s inner circle, Rodríguez remains in charge of day-to-day government operations and was set to deliver her first state of the union speech Thursday.

In endorsing Rodríguez so far, Trump has sidelined Machado, who has long been a face of resistance in Venezuela. She also had sought to cultivate relationships with Trump and key administration voices like Secretary of State Marco Rubio among the American right wing in a gamble to ally herself with the U.S. government.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had been looking forward to the lunchtime meeting with Machado and called her “a remarkable and brave voice” for the people of Venezuela. But Leavitt also said Trump's opinion of Machado had not changed, calling it "a realistic assessment."

Trump has said it would be difficult for Machado to lead because she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.” Her party is widely believed to have won 2024 elections rejected by Maduro.

Leavitt went on to say that Trump supported new Venezuelan elections “when the time is right” but did not say when he thought that might be.

Leavitt said Machado sought the face-to-face meeting without setting expectations for what would occur. Machado previously offered to share with Trump the Nobel Peace Prize she won last year, an honor he has coveted.

“I don’t think he needs to hear anything from Ms. Machado," the press secretary said, other than to have a ”frank and positive discussion about what’s taking place in Venezuela.”

Machado spent about two and a half hours at the White House but left without answering questions on whether she'd offered to give her Nobel prize to Trump, saying only “gracias."

After her White House stop, Machado plans to have a meeting at the Senate. Her Washington visit began after U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says had ties to Venezuela.

It is part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil after U.S. forces seized Maduro and his wife at a heavily guarded compound in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and brought them to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges.

Leavitt said Venezuela's interim authorities have been fully cooperating with the Trump administration and that Rodríguez's government said it planned to release more prisoners detained under Maduro. Among those released were five Americans this week.

Rodríguez has adopted a less strident position toward Trump then she did immediately after Maduro's ouster, suggesting that she can make the Republican administration's “America First” policies toward the Western Hemisphere, work for Venezuela — at least for now.

Trump said Wednesday that he had a “great conversation” with Rodríguez, their first since Maduro was ousted.

“We had a call, a long call. We discussed a lot of things,” Trump said during an Oval Office bill signing. “And I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela.”

Even before indicating the willingness to work with Venezuela's interim government, Trump was quick to snub Machado. Just hours after Maduro's capture, Trump said of Machado that “it would be very tough for her to be the leader.”

Machado has steered a careful course to avoid offending Trump, notably after winning the peace prize. She has since thanked Trump, though her offer to share the honor with him was rejected by the Nobel Institute.

Machado’s whereabouts have been largely unknown since she went into hiding early last year after being briefly detained in Caracas. She briefly reappeared in Oslo, Norway, in December after her daughter received the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf.

The industrial engineer and daughter of a steel magnate began challenging the ruling party in 2004, when the nongovernmental organization she co-founded, Súmate, promoted a referendum to recall then-President Hugo Chávez. The initiative failed, and Machado and other Súmate executives were charged with conspiracy.

A year later, she drew the anger of Chávez and his allies again for traveling to Washington to meet President George W. Bush. A photo showing her shaking hands with Bush in the Oval Office lives in the collective memory. Chávez considered Bush an adversary.

Almost two decades later, she marshaled millions of Venezuelans to reject Chávez’s successor, Maduro, for another term in the 2024 election. But ruling party-loyal electoral authorities declared him the winner despite ample credible evidence to the contrary. Ensuing anti-government protests ended in a brutal crackdown by state security forces.

Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela, and Janetsky from Mexico City. AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gestures to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado waves to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado smiles on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado waves to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

FILE - U.S. President George Bush, right, meets with Maria Corina Machado, executive director of Sumate, a non-governmental organization that defends Venezuelan citizens' political rights, in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, May 31, 2005. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

FILE - Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures to supporters during a protest against President Nicolas Maduro the day before his inauguration for a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, file)