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France produced one of the standout performances of the FIFA World Cup on Tuesday, cruising into the last 16 with a dominant 3-0 victory over Sweden as captain Kylian Mbappé delivered another dazzling display.
The scoreline barely reflected France’s superiority. The former champions overwhelmed Sweden with relentless attacking football and could easily have scored several more goals but for the woodwork, missed chances and a series of impressive saves.
France will now face Paraguay in the round of 16, carrying formidable momentum after one of their most convincing performances of the tournament.
Mbappe was once again the driving force behind France’s attack. The French captain scored twice to take his tally at this World Cup to six goals and his overall World Cup finals total to 18 in just 18 matches, moving to within one goal of Lionel Messi on the tournament’s all-time scoring list.
Sweden struggled to cope with France’s pace, movement and crisp passing throughout the contest under sweltering conditions in East Rutherford, where temperatures reached 32 degrees Celsius (90°F).
Mbappe threatened from the opening minutes, forcing an early save before having a goal ruled out for offside in the 20th minute. He also struck the post as France continued to pile on the pressure.
The match remained scoreless when play paused for a mandatory hydration break, prompting loud boos from fans unhappy with the interruption. Supporters quickly turned the pause into a celebration by singing Jon Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer, but Sweden found little relief once play resumed.
France finally broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time. Receiving a perfectly weighted pass from Ousmane Dembélé, Mbappe skipped past his marker before firing a powerful right-footed shot beyond goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström.
The goal also set a new World Cup record, with Mbappe and Dembele combining for their sixth goal together at World Cup finals, surpassing the previous mark jointly held by Germany’s Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose, and Poland’s Grzegorz Lato and Andrzej Szarmach.
France’s players celebrated the breakthrough by embracing coach Didier Deschamps on the touchline. Deschamps had recently returned to the United States after attending his mother’s funeral.
The French side maintained their intensity after the break and doubled the lead in the 53rd minute when Bradley Barcola calmly lofted the ball over the advancing Swedish goalkeeper after another flowing move.
Mbappe completed his brilliant performance in the 73rd minute, latching onto a precise through-ball from Michael Olise before clipping his finish into the net to make it 3-0.
With six minutes remaining, Deschamps substituted Mbappe to a standing ovation from the crowd of more than 86,000, bringing the curtain down on a commanding display that underlined France’s status as one of the favourites to lift the World Cup trophy.
