Thanks to two goals from captain Kylian Mbappé, France defeated Sweden 3-0 and entered the next round of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Mbappe broke many records in this match and equaled Messi who scored the most goals in the tournament.
new york [अमेरिका]July 1 (ANI): Charismatic captain Kylian Mbappe scored two spectacular goals as France registered a resounding 3-0 win over Sweden at the New York New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium). With this victory, Les Blues have confirmed their place in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Great performance by Mbappe and Olise
Didier Deschamps, who was not with the team in the final group game due to personal grief due to his mother’s funeral, completely dismantled Sweden’s strong defense upon his return. While Michael Olise’s creative genius dictated the tempo of the game, Mbappe stole the show by breaking historical records and equaling Lionel Messi on the tournament’s goal-scoring charts.
Sweden entered the knockout tie with a disciplined and compact low-block strategy implemented by manager Graham Potter, relying on the fast counter-attacking pace of Anthony Ilanga and Alexander Isak to penetrate the French lineup. The plan worked for the first half hour, limiting the French to only long-range attempts. However, as the first half progressed, France increased their pace. In the 40th minute, Michael Olise almost thrilled the stadium with a spectacular scissor kick that went straight through the goal post without touching the ground.
France finally got success in the 45th minute on the basis of individual talent. Taking advantage of a short corner routine between Ousmane Dembélé and Olisse, Kylian Mbappé picked up the ball on the left, made a sharp turn to send Swedish striker Victor Gyöckeres to the ground and fired a precise right-footed shot into the bottom right corner past goalkeeper Jakob Vidal Zetterström.
France doubled its lead in the 53rd minute. Michael Olise bypassed captain Victor Lindelof and broke through the Swedish defense before delivering a brilliant pass to Bradley Barcola who fired a powerful shot into the top of the net. The result of the match was confirmed in the 74th minute. Olise once again broke through the defense and passed the ball into the channel to Kylian Mbappé. The French captain, like his goal in the first half, headed the ball into the far corner to make the score 3-0. When he left the field in the 85th minute, the spectators stood up and greeted him.
Mbappe made historical records
Despite conceding three goals, goalkeeper Jakob Vidal Zetterström was Sweden’s best player, making several world-class saves against Adrien Rabiot and Mbappé to avoid a major defeat. The centre-back duo of William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano completely neutralized the much-touted trio of Alexander Isak, Victor Gyokres and Anthony Ilanga, preventing them from getting a single shot on target against Mike Maignan.
With his first goal, Kylian Mbappe set a new record for the most knockout stage goals in FIFA World Cup history, and officially overtook Brazilian greats Leonidas and Ronaldo, who are both on 8 goals. This huge achievement is not only a record in itself, but it also reshapes the list of World Cup top scorers. Mbappe now has 10 knockout goals, putting him well ahead of other great players in the elimination matches. With these goals, his total number of World Cup goals reached 18, placing him second among all-time scorers, just behind Lionel Messi. Additionally, Mbappe’s two goals took him to 6 goals in the 2026 tournament, putting him level with Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot.
Olise also created history
A stellar performance from Michael Olise provided two official assists, making him the first player since Germany’s Thomas Hassler in 1994 to record 5 assists in a single World Cup tournament.
While Sweden crashed out of the tournament after an impressive journey, France confidently advance to the Round of 16, where they will face Paraguay on July 4. (ANI)
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