By Sam French

French football doesn’t lack attacking talent, that’s for sure and it may be Kylian Mbappe who’ll grab the headlines as he scored twice in a 4-0 win over Ukraine- taking his career tally to 400 goals in total. That said, Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike made an impact in the win too. 

Big Night for Hugo

In just 23 minutes after coming on, he had 4 shots and scored his first goal for the national side and had several dangerous runs going forward. The result not only sealed France’s ticket to next summer’s World Cup but also may have cemented Hugo Ekitike’s place on the plane to North America. 

He’s a player who’s operated as a central striker for much of his young career, but he also possesses the profile of a modern hybrid forward and, for France against Ukraine, he offered perhaps the clearest demonstration yet. 

Slotting in for Bradley Barcola on the left in the 67th minute, he immediately reshaped France’s attacking dynamic. 

Straight after coming on, his first contribution saw one of his shots hit the post, a curling effort that showed both his power and precision. Moments later, he went bursting down the flank again, forcing Yehor Yarmolyuk into a desperate foul that earned the Ukrainian a yellow card. 

Then came the moment that some of the French media have hailed as a “statement” - collecting the ball deep in his own half, he turned defence into attack, skipping past challenges and carrying France 60 yards up the pitch. The move finished with a well-timed one-two with Kylian Mbappé, before his shot went through Anatoliy Trubin’s legs. It’s Hugo Ekitike’s first senior international goal on what’s only his fifth cap. He only broke into the side and made his debut in September, following the move to Merseyside. 

Proving His Worth

Up to now, he has been seen as a promising rotational option- trusted enough by manager Didier Deschamps to call him up to the squad, but not quite ready to disrupt the established order. France have strength in depth and numerous quality players, but Hugo Ekitike is one of them. The goal has potentially forced himself into the conversation for real minutes at a World Cup and his performances for Liverpool already this season may have led to some to take note. 

Injury issues delayed Alexander Isak’s integration into Arne Slot’s setup at Anfield, leaving Hugo Ekitike to shoulder more responsibility early on and he made a very promising start to the season.  

Arne Slot likes players who can rotate and interchange positions to stretch opposition structures, and who can counter-press aggressively when possession breaks down. Hugo Ekitike ticks all of these boxes. Against Ukraine, he featured on the left and that could be a position where he’s able to prove his use more in the long term for the Reds.