France produced another commanding display at the FIFA World Cup, defeating Sweden 3-0 on Tuesday to secure a place in the Round of 16, where they will face Paraguay.Mbappe Nets Brace as France Cruise Past Sweden to Book Paraguay Clash
France produced another commanding display at the FIFA World Cup, defeating Sweden 3-0 on Tuesday to secure a place in the Round of 16, where they will face Paraguay.
Captain Kylian Mbappe starred with a brace, while Michael Olise delivered an outstanding performance, providing two assists as France dominated proceedings from start to finish before a crowd of 80,663 at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The French controlled possession for long spells and created the better chances throughout the contest, with both Mbappe and Olise striking the woodwork before the breakthrough eventually arrived.
France’s pressure paid off just before half-time when Mbappe finished off a flowing team move to give his side a deserved lead heading into the interval.
The reigning European giants continued to dictate the pace after the restart, doubling their advantage in the 53rd minute. Olise produced a perfectly weighted pass to set up Bradley Barcola, who calmly slotted home to make it 2-0.
Olise was again at the heart of France’s attacking play moments later, threading another exquisite pass through Sweden’s defence for Mbappe to score his second of the night and seal an emphatic 3-0 victory.
The result sends France into the knockout stage with confidence, having outclassed a Swedish side that struggled to cope with the French attack and failed to seriously threaten throughout the encounter.
Mbappe’s two goals also strengthened his bid for the tournament’s Golden Boot, taking his tally to six goals and drawing him level with Lionel Messi in the race for the competition’s top scorer.
The French captain also reached another personal milestone, taking his career World Cup goal tally to 18. He now sits just one goal behind Messi’s overall World Cup record of 19 goals and will have another opportunity to surpass the mark when France face Paraguay in the Round of 16.
