Kylian Mbappe went joint-top scorer in the 2026 FIFA World Cup as he scored a brace to inspire France into the last 16 after comfortably beating Sweden 3-0 on Wednesday at MetLife Stadium.
The Real Madrid sensation found the net in both halves, taking his tally to six goals and drawing level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race. He is also now just one goal away from equalling Messi’s all-time World Cup scoring record of 19 goals.
Bradley Barcola added the third goal on a day when Michael Olise was equally outstanding, providing two assists and creating chances throughout the game to ensure France booked a last-16 date with Paraguay on Sunday, July 5, in Philadelphia.
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France vs Sweden
The match, which was expected to be a tight contest, turned into a one-sided affair as Les Bleus dominated for long spells as tie was watched by 80,663 fans at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
During the opening 40 minutes, France endured a series of frustrations, hitting the woodwork and having a goal ruled out.
Olise released Mbappe through the middle in the 20th minute, and the forward calmly found the net, only for a marginal offside decision to cut short the celebrations.
That moment, however, sparked an even more intense spell of French pressure, which eventually produced the breakthrough.
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France’s football was mesmerising at times. Mbappe struck the post from a Jules Kounde delivery across the face of goal, while Adrien Rabiot fired narrowly over the crossbar.
Olise then rattled the upright with a spectacular overhead bicycle kick before Dembele sent the rebound wide.
The opener finally arrived just before half-time after an Olise effort was tipped behind by Swedish goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom.
Dembele and Olise combined from the resulting corner before picking out Mbappe, who did the rest. He dribbled past three Swedish defenders before unleashing a thunderous strike to score his first goal and break the deadlock.
Sweden needed the interval to regroup, but they conceded again just eight minutes after the restart. The brilliant Olise threaded a pass through the legs of Gustaf Lagerbielke for Barcola, who emphatically fired home.
Olise was denied when clean through, but moments later he produced another exceptional assist for Mbappe, who had initially drifted inches offside before timing his next run perfectly to curl home his second goal in the 74th minute.
France looked untouchable, even though tougher tests still lie ahead. Paraguay will have their work cut out if they are to keep pace with this formidable French side.
Read more about other World Cup teams in 2026 below:
Morocco national football team 2026
Argentina national football team 2026
Mexico national football team 2026
Spain national football team 2026
Brazil national football team 2026
France national football team 2026
Senegal national football team 2026