France’s star striker Kylian Mbappe finally broke his long-standing silence after scoring a brace (74th and 91st minute) to help his team beat Poland 3-1 in their Round-of-16 encounter at the Al Thumama Stadium on Sunday.

Mbappe, who has scored nine goals in 11 World Cup matches across two editions so far and leads the current Golden Boot race with five goals, had not spoken publicly ever since he arrived here for the quadrennial showpiece. It’s mandatory for the Player of the Match to speak to the media and though Mbappe had won the award twice before—in France’s opening two wins over Australia and Denmark—he avoided his post-match media obligations and left his national body (French Football Federation) exposed to a fine by FIFA. However, on Sunday night, when he was once again named Player of the Match, against Poland, Mbappe promptly appeared before the media and even explained why he skipped his duties earlier.