Mbappe brace sends France past Sweden into World Cup last 16

France produced a dominant display at New York New Jersey Stadium, defeating Sweden 3‑0 to secure their place in the World Cup Round of 16. Kylian Mbappe struck twice, with Bradley Barcola also on target, as Didier Deschamps' side controlled the match from start to finish. The victory sets up a last‑16 meeting with Paraguay.

Mbappe’s record and Olise’s creativity

Mbappe opened the scoring in the 45th minute, capitalising on a clever corner routine to slot calmly into the bottom corner. The goal marked his ninth in World Cup knockout matches, moving him past Brazil’s Leônidas and Ronaldo (both with eight) for the most goals scored in the tournament’s knockout stages. Michael Olise then turned provider, threading a superb pass through to Barcola, who unleashed a powerful finish to double the lead in the 53rd minute. Olise’s fifth assist of the tournament made him the first player to achieve that feat since Germany’s Thomas Häßler in 1994.

Second strike and Golden Boot race

Mbappe sealed the victory in the 74th minute, timing his run perfectly to latch onto another defence‑splitting pass from Olise before curling an almost identical finish past the goalkeeper. The brace took Mbappe level with Lionel Messi with six goals in the race for the Golden Boot, leaving him one goal behind Messi’s all‑time World Cup scoring record. France will now face Paraguay in the Round of 16, while Sweden exit the tournament.