It didn’t take long for Les Bleus to get on the front foot, with Michael Olise’s shot from range being saved before Taras Mykhavko and Roman Yaremchuk bravely blocked venomous strikes from Rayan Cherki and Manu Kone respectively.
Ukraine’s sloppiness on the ball added to France’s control, but the scoreline remained level as Cherki curled an attempt high and wide shortly before a moving tribute from the stands for the victims of the 2015 Paris attacks on the 10th anniversary.
Kylian Mbappe then saw a strike from range pushed wide by Anatoliy Trubin, and Cherki hit another shot off target as the Blue and Yellow remained resilient.
Kone was booked for a late tackle on Yaremchuk in the 31st minute, and in addition to making him miss the Azerbaijan match, it made some situations increasingly precarious for the midfielder, with Sergiy Rebrov’s side beginning to make forays forward of their own.
Les Bleus still kept coming, though, and Bradley Barcola’s curling effort forced a superb save from Trubin to tip it onto the post and wide.
There was penalty frustration at both ends for Ukraine shortly after the restart, as nothing was given for Dayot Upamecano’s challenge on Yehor Nazaryna before a spot-kick was awarded for Mykhavko’s tackle on Olise.
Mbappe only added to that, with his audacious Panenka opening the scoring.
The France captain then sent one attempt narrowly wide, saw an instinctive strike denied by Trubin and had another shot blocked by Mykhavko.
Maghnes Akliouche and Hugo Ekitike were brought off the bench, and the former was stopped by Trubin shortly before the latter hit the post.
Having won the penalty for the opener, Olise then received N’Golo Kanté’s pass and punished tired play from Yehor Yarmolyuk with a clinical finish to make sure that France returned to winning ways, confirming top spot to boot.
The hosts could now enjoy themselves, and Ekitike was denied by Trubin before Mbappe turned the ball over the line.
The captain then played a one-two with Ekitike as the Liverpool striker capped off France’s evening with his first international goal.
Ultimately, Les Bleus emphatically ended Ukraine’s three-game undefeated run to seal their place at next summer's World Cup.
The result leaves the Yellow and Blue behind Iceland on goal difference before the two sides meet with second place and a playoff spot at stake.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kylian Mbappe (France)
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