Kylian Mbappe edged to within one goal of Lionel Messi’s all-time FIFA World Cup scoring record after scoring twice to inspire France to a commanding 3-0 victory over Sweden and send Les Bleus into the Round of 16 in emphatic fashion.
The France captain once again proved the difference on the biggest stage, taking his World Cup tally to 18 goal, just one behind Messi’s record of 19, as Didier Deschamps’ side continued their relentless march towards a third world title.
Bradley Barcola added the third goal in a one-sided contest at the New York New Jersey Stadium, where France overwhelmed Sweden with their pace, movement and attacking quality to set up a last-16 clash against Paraguay, who earlier stunned Germany on penalties.
It was another statement from a French side that appears to be gathering momentum with every match. Les Bleus have now scored at least three goals in each of their last five World Cup matches, the longest such run by any nation in the tournament’s history, while their 25 attempts on goal were their most in a World Cup game since peppering Paraguay’s goal with 37 shots during their Round of 16 meeting at the 1998 finals.
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The victory also marked another milestone for Deschamps. Returning to the dugout after missing France’s final group game following the death of his mother, the former World Cup-winning captain celebrated his ninth victory in a World Cup knockout match, more than any manager in the competition’s history.
Sweden began brightly and briefly threatened to spoil the occasion.
Alexander Isak forced Mike Maignan into an early save, while Anthony Elanga’s pace caused France a few uncomfortable moments down the flanks.
Those early warning signs, however, only seemed to awaken the French.
Gradually, Deschamps’ men tightened their grip on proceedings as Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot dictated play from midfield while Michael Olise repeatedly found pockets of space behind the Swedish midfield.
Mbappe thought he had opened the scoring midway through the first half after racing onto a through ball, only for the assistant referee’s flag to deny him.
Moments later, Jules Kounde’s low cross found the Real Madrid forward inside the six-yard box, but his effort cannoned back off the post.
Sweden were then rescued by the woodwork once again when Olise produced an audacious overhead kick that beat goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom but crashed against the upright before Ousmane Dembele fired the rebound narrowly wide.
France’s breakthrough finally arrived in first-half stoppage time.
Working a clever short-corner routine involving Olise and Dembele, the ball eventually found Mbappe inside the penalty area. With trademark composure, the captain shifted onto his right foot before curling an unstoppable finish into the far corner to give France a thoroughly deserved lead.
The goal sparked emotional celebrations as Mbappe sprinted directly towards Deschamps, embracing his manager in a touching moment following the coach’s difficult week.
France resumed after the interval with even greater authority.
Eight minutes into the second half, Tchouameni won possession in midfield and immediately released Olise, whose perfectly weighted through ball dissected Sweden’s defence.
Barcola timed his run brilliantly before calmly sliding his finish beyond Zetterstrom to double France’s advantage.
The assist further highlighted Olise’s outstanding tournament, but Sweden’s problems were only just beginning.
As the game became increasingly stretched, France continued to expose gaps in the Swedish defence with frightening regularity.
The third goal arrived exactly as expected.
Olise, once again pulling the strings, threaded another exquisite pass into Mbappe’s path. The France captain accelerated clear before bending a composed finish into the far corner to complete his brace and effectively end the contest.
In doing so, Mbappe moved another step closer to rewriting World Cup history.
His 18th goal leaves only Messi ahead of him on the tournament’s all-time scoring chart, with Miroslav Klose (16), Ronaldo Nazario (15), Gerd Muller (14), Just Fontaine (13) and Pele (12) all now behind the French superstar.
Even more remarkably, it was the seventh different World Cup match in which Mbappe has scored at least twice, three more than any other player in the competition’s history. His tally of 10 knockout-stage goals also remains the highest ever recorded by a player at the World Cup.
Deschamps introduced fresh legs in the closing stages, yet the chances continued to arrive as Sweden struggled to contain wave after wave of blue shirts.
The visitors’ best opportunity came late when Viktor Gyokeres finally escaped his marker inside the penalty area, but Maignan reacted sharply before later denying substitute Mattias Svanberg to preserve another clean sheet.
The final whistle confirmed France’s biggest victory in a World Cup knockout match since defeating Brazil 3-0 in the 1998 final, another reminder of a side that appears to be peaking at precisely the right moment.
Speaking after the game, Mbappe insisted France still have another level to reach despite the convincing scoreline.
“I’m very aware of who I am, how I play, what I shall do, but it’s not just about me,” the France captain said.
“The entire team is aware of what should be done. It is a new competition that has started today. We did play well, but we were timid. We could have done better at the beginning.”
Reflecting on his celebration with Deschamps, Mbappe added: “He knows that he will never be alone with us and we will support him.”
Tchouameni echoed his captain’s sentiments, praising the team’s discipline while paying tribute to their manager.
“It was a tough game, but we wanted to come here and win this game, and we did it,” the midfielder said.
“We have to recover and get ready for the next one.
“We know what we are able to do as a team offensively and defensively. We stay focused on what we have to do as a team. We just have to keep pushing and look forward.”
On Deschamps’ return to the bench, Tchouameni added: “We know that the coach is going through a lot. We are going to try to give everything to make him as happy as possible. Today we did our job.”
France now turn their attention to Paraguay, whose dramatic penalty shootout victory over Germany has earned them the daunting task of facing a French side playing with confidence, fluency and a captain who is rapidly closing in on one of the most iconic records in World Cup history.
