Mbappe Double Fires France Into FIFA World Cup Last 16; Sweden Swept Aside

Published 1 July 2026 · sports

Mbappe Double Fires France Into FIFA World Cup Last 16; Sweden Swept Aside Published By, Last Updated: July 01, 2026, 06:19 IST Kylian Mbappe struck

Mbappe Double Fires France Into FIFA World Cup Last 16; Sweden Swept Aside Published By, Last Updated: July 01, 2026, 06:19 IST Kylian Mbappe struck twice and Michael Olise dazzled as France eased past Sweden 3-0 to reach the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, where Paraguay await Didier Deschamps' side. Rapid Read Kylian Mbappe for France (AP) When France begin to purr, very few teams know how to stop them. Sweden certainly didn’t. Kylian Mbappe scored twice while Michael Olise orchestrated another attacking masterclass as Les Bleus brushed aside Sweden 3-0 in New Jersey on Tuesday to book a FIFA World Cup Round of 16 showdown with Paraguay. Watched by more than 80,000 fans at MetLife Stadium, Didier Deschamps’ side barely allowed Sweden a foothold, dominating possession, territory and chances from the opening whistle. The scoreline could easily have been more emphatic. Olise Pulls Every String France’s front four looked irresistible once again.

Olise was at the heart of almost everything dangerous, linking beautifully with Ousmane Dembele and Mbappe while constantly finding pockets of space. He thought he had created the opener midway through the first half when Mbappe finished clinically, only for VAR to rule it out for a marginal offside. The warning signs kept coming. Mbappe rattled the post from Jules Kounde’s inviting cross before Adrien Rabiot fired narrowly over. Then came arguably the moment of the match, when Olise produced an outrageous overhead kick that crashed against the upright before Dembele somehow dragged the rebound wide. France finally found the breakthrough just before half-time. Following a cleverly-worked corner, Dembele and Olise combined to pick out Mbappe, who calmly finished to hand France a thoroughly deserved lead. Mbappe Makes History Sweden never recovered after the restart. Just eight minutes into the second half, Olise threaded a delightful pass through Gustaf Lagerbielke’s legs for Bradley Barcola, who rifled home France’s second.

Olise was denied a goal of his own soon after, but he wasn’t finished creating. His perfectly weighted through ball released Mbappe again in the 74th minute, and the France captain curled a composed finish beyond Jacob Widell Zetterstrom to complete the rout. The brace took Mbappe level with Lionel Messi on six goals in the Golden Boot race at this tournament while also moving him to 18 career FIFA World Cup goals — just one shy of Messi’s overall World Cup record of 19. Mbappe celebrated his opener by embracing Deschamps, who had returned after missing France’s final group-stage match following the death of his mother. Paraguay Next Deschamps, who will step down after the tournament, now moves a step closer to ending his remarkable reign with another deep World Cup run. Paraguay await in Philadelphia, but on current evidence, France look every bit like a side capable of lifting the trophy once again.