France secured a dominant 3-0 victory over Sweden at the New York New Jersey Stadium, advancing to the Round of 16 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Kylian Mbappe scored twice, moving him ahead of Leonidas and Ronaldo for the most goals in World Cup knockout stages.
Mbappe's first-half strike breaks deadlock
France struck just before half-time when Mbappe scored in the 45th minute. A cleverly worked corner between Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise released Mbappe, who skipped past Viktor Gyokeres before calmly slotting his finish into the bottom-right corner beyond Jacob Widell Zetterstrom. The goal saw Mbappe score his ninth goal in World Cup knockout matches, surpassing Leonidas and Ronaldo, who each had eight.
Barcola doubles lead early in second half
France doubled their advantage in the 53rd minute when Olise threaded a superb pass through Viktor Lindelof's legs to Bradley Barcola, who unleashed a powerful finish from inside the box that gave Zetterstrom no chance. Didier Deschamps' side looked completely in control, moving the ball with confidence and precision while constantly threatening with runs in behind Sweden's defense.
Olise sets assist record
Olise continued to orchestrate France's attack, and his fifth assist of the tournament made him the first player since Thomas Hassler for Germany in 1994 to record five assists at a World Cup. Mbappe sealed the victory in the 74th minute, timing his run perfectly to latch onto another defense-splitting pass from Olise before curling an almost identical finish to his first goal past Zetterstrom.
Mbappe ties Messi in Golden Boot race
The brace took Mbappe level with Lionel Messi with six goals in the race for the Golden Boot at the tournament, while leaving him one goal behind Messi's all-time World Cup scoring record. As Sweden leaves the tournament, France will face Paraguay in the Round of 16.
