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It all seems so straightforward — laughable, perhaps — for Kylian Mbappé when it comes to the World Cup.

The France forward, who scored four goals when he led his country to the title four years ago as a 19-year-old phenom, put on yet another demonstration of how devastating he can be on the soccer field.

After it was over, Mbappé almost seemed to be chuckling as Robert Lewandowski came over to congratulate him.

Mbappé scored two goals Sunday and set up another for Olivier Giroud to give France a 3-1 victory over Poland and move the 2018 champions within three wins of successfully defending their title, Associated Press reported.

He already has a tournament-best five goals in Qatar as Les Bleus have reached the quarterfinals for the third straight World Cup.

“The only objective for me is to win the World Cup,” Mbappé said. “The only thing I dream is this. I came here to win this World Cup. I didn’t come here to win the Golden Ball or Golden Boot. If I win it of course I’m going to be happy but that’s not why I’m here. I’m here to win and I’m here to help the French national team.”

France will play England for a spot in the semifinals. The English team beat Senegal 3-0.

Mbappé scored his first goal in the 74th minute when he was left unmarked to blast in a long-range shot following a counterattack. He added another in stoppage time when Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny could only get a weak glove on another powerful shot from the man in the No. 10 shirt.

“He can change a match in just a moment and he’s always playing with such joy and we all want to share those smiles with him,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “France needed a great Kylian Mbappé tonight and they got one.”

Having also provided two assists, Mbappé has easily been the most productive player in Qatar.

After his latest exploits, Mbappé explained why he hadn’t addressed the media in Qatar before Sunday.

“I needed to focus on the tournament and my soccer,” he said through a translator, adding that he had volunteered to pay a French federation fine for his silence. “When I want to concentrate on something that’s the way I function. And that’s why I didn’t want to come speak to you before now.

“I’ve been preparing for this tournament throughout the season, physically and mentally,” he added. “I wanted to be ready for this tournament and I am.”

Mbappé celebrated his second goal by waving his arms for the crowd to cheer louder. Then he hoisted himself up onto the crossbar shortly after the final whistle in front of France’s celebrating fans.

Mbappé already has nine career World Cup goals and if he stays healthy, he could probably play in another three editions of soccer’s biggest event — meaning he might approach the tournament’s career scoring record held by Germany striker Miroslav Klose, who scored 16 goals over four World Cups, according to Associated Press.

“He hurt us today but I am cheering for him because he is a real star,” Poland coach Czesław Michniewicz said through a translator. “I’m talking about (Lionel) Messi, (Cristiano) Ronaldo, Lewandowski. If someone is going to take over, I think Mbappé will be the player to be the best one (for) many years.”

No country has repeated as World Cup champions in six decades — since Brazil achieved the feat by claiming consecutive trophies in 1958 and 1962. Italy is the only other nation to have won two straight, in 1934 and 1938.

While Lewandowski is a prolific scorer himself, he’s never come close to winning a major title with a Poland team that struggles to get him the ball.

Mbappé, by contrast, is supported by a large array of talented players — even though half a dozen top France players are out injured.

The French team took the lead when Mbappé threaded a pass to Giroud and the AC Milan striker quickly slotted the ball into the far corner. It was Giroud’s 52nd career international goal — breaking a tie with Thierry Henry on France’s all-time scoring list.

Nepal’s major political parties have started intra-party consultations in order to make their respective positions on the possible power-sharing deal. Similarly, top leaders of major parties are reading each other’s minds through their trusted lieutenant. Second-rung leaders of the Nepali Congress such as Purna Bahadur Khadka, Prakash Sharan Mahat, and Prakash Man Singh are meeting the leaders of CPN (Maoist Center) and CPN-UML. The leaders have not spoken about the contents of such closed-door meetings. The meeting of the five-party coalition is taking place on December  5 which is likely to hold a preliminary discussion on power-sharing. The Maoist has already started internal deliberations on the issue. The first meeting of top leaders of the party on December 3 provided a conflicting message about the party’s position on power-sharing. The party had said that it intends to keep all options open on government formation. Many have read its position as a play to increase the bargaining chip with the NC. At the same time, party leaders say their first priority is go ahead with the current coalition. Speaking with media persons on December 4, Maoist leader Dev Gurung said: “As the coalition remains intact, our first effort is to continue the current coalition.” He said they have not yet thought of any alternatives. Before the elections, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal used to be vocal about this claim for the premiership as he had hoped that his party would play a decisive factor which somehow still remains but without around 30 seats in the national parliament, his position has weakened. The situation is different now. The NC and UML could secure majority votes  without the Maoist support. But, the government will be a fragile one. Inside NC, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has started consulting with his core group. The weakened position of the Maoist party has provided a space for Deuba to claim the PM. Before the election, Deuba was morally obliged to accept Dahal as the prime minister, given the latter’s unconditional support to form a government under his leadership following the Supreme Court order in 2021. The first preference of the NC is to convince the Maoist party to form a coalition government under its leadership. If the Maoist agree to form a government under Deuba’s leadership, it stakes a claim on vital positions. But, state institutions including Nepal Army and external powers could show concerns over power-sharing. In this scenario, the president may go to CPN (Unified Socialist) but the Maoist may not settle merely for the speaker. Some NC leaders are also floating the proposal of forming a government under its leadership sans Maoist, bringing all fringe parties and independent candidates on board. But this is not a feasible option for the party because it will make it difficult to form governments in the provinces because it does not have a single majority in either of the provinces. The CPN-UML, which has emerged as the second largest party, is closely following the ongoing talks among the members of the current coalition. The party leaders are saying that external meddling has increased in the government formation. If the current coalition splits, the new government led by the UML or the Maoist party cannot be ruled out. Despite having a souring relationship between Oli and Dahal, the two parties could come together to form coalition government cajoling fringe parties on board. Inside the UML and the Maoist, there are strong urges that left parties must come together, but the ego of Oli and Dahal is preventing that from happening. Another option being floated in the political circle is the NC-UML coalition government. Through some NC leaders, Oli has conveyed this message to PM Deuba. At the same time, there are opinions inside both parties that as two parties are each other’s key competitors, both should not stay in power making the opposition front weak. Those leaders are of the view that one party should lead the government and another stay in opposition. But, there are strong voices inside both parties that for the stability of the country and to counter the emergence of new forces, the two parties should form a strong government. If two parties come together, it would be comparatively easier to share vital positions.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 2. 16 points to close at 1, 963.22 points on Sunday. Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 1. 17 points to close at 384. 83 points. Meanwhile, a total of 3,694,084 unit shares of 243 companies were traded for Rs 1. 56 billion. Meanwhile, Dhaulagiri Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 9. 98 percent. NESDO Sambridha Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited was the top loser as its price fell by 6.11 percent. At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 2. 82 trillion.

Fifteen persons were injured when a vehicle belonging to the Nepal Army met with an accident in Miklajung-6 of Panchthar district on Sunday. Out of the injured, two are in critical condition. SP Nabin Raj Rai, spokesperson at the District Police Office, Biratnagar, said that the incident occurred when the vehicle (Ba 1 Ga 3442) heading towards Ranashwor of Phiding from Budhabare fell some 150 meters down the road this afternoon. There were 18 persons on board the vehicle when the incident took place. Police said that some of the injured have been taken to other districts for treatment while some are undergoing treatment in Panchthar.  

Police have arrested a man with a huge cache of marijuana from Gaur, Rautahat. Acting on tip off, a police team raided the Phalak Poultry Farm in Gaur Municipality-3 and recovered 180 kilograms of marijuana. Police said that they have impounded a mini truck (Bagmati Province 01-006-Kha 2830), which was parked near the poultry farm, and arrested its driver Surendra Syangden (21) of Agra, Makwanpur. DSP Uma Shankar Yadav of the District Police Office, Rautahat said that they are looking into the case.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 400 per tola in the domestic market on Sunday. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 99, 500 per tola today. The yellow bullion was traded at Rs 99, 100 per tola on Friday. Meanwhile, the price of silver has increased by Rs 25 per tola and is being traded at Rs 1, 370 today.

Bharat Bahadur KC of the CPN-UML has been elected as a member of the Province Assembly from Dolakha-2. He was elected as the Province Assembly member by defeating Barma Lama of Nepali Congress by a margin of 1, 809 votes. KC secured 19, 424 votes while his nearest rival Lama got 17, 595 votes.  

Police have arrested an Armed Police Force (APF) constable accused of murdering a woman. A special security team arrested Bharatram Koli of Shivanath-4 of Baitadi from Kanchanpur, DIG Mohan Kumar Acharya, Chief at the Province Police Office, said. He was nabbed for murdering Maya Luhar of Pancheshwor Rural Municipality-4, Baitadi. Preliminary investigation suggests they were in a relationship, police said. Further investigation into the incident is underway.