Mbappe Brace Fires France Past Sweden, Sets Up Paraguay Showdown

Mbappe Brace Fires France Past Sweden, Sets Up Paraguay Showdown

 

France delivered another emphatic statement of intent at the 2026 FIFA World Cup as captain Kylian Mbappé scored twice and Michael Olise produced a masterclass in creativity to inspire a commanding 3-0 victory over Sweden, sealing a place in the round of 16 against Paraguay.

Backed by a crowd of 80,663 at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Les Bleus completely outclassed their Scandinavian opponents, dominating possession, creating a flurry of chances and never allowing Sweden to gain any meaningful foothold in the contest.

Mbappé finally broke the deadlock just before half-time after France had twice rattled the woodwork through the striker himself and Olise.

The French maintained the pressure after the restart, with Olise threading a superb pass to Bradley Barcola, who blasted home France’s second goal in the 53rd minute.

Olise crowned a dazzling display by setting up Mbappé again in the 74th minute, with the France captain curling home his second of the night to complete a convincing victory.

The brace moved Mbappé level with Lionel Messi on six goals in the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot. It also took his overall World Cup tally to 18 goals, leaving the 27-year-old just one strike behind Messi’s record of 19.

Mbappé marked his opening goal with an emotional celebration, running to embrace coach Didier Deschamps, who recently returned after briefly leaving the team’s camp following the death of his mother.

Deschamps, who will step down after the tournament following 14 successful years in charge, remains on course for a memorable farewell. The former France captain lifted the World Cup as a player in 1998 before guiding the nation to another title in 2018.

France’s next opponents, Paraguay national football team, evoke memories of that 1998 triumph, when France edged Paraguay 1-0 in extra time in the round of 16 through Laurent Blanc’s famous golden goal. The two sides will meet again on Saturday in Philadelphia for a place in the quarter-finals.

Olise was the heartbeat of France’s attack throughout, while Ousmane Dembélé constantly troubled Sweden’s defence with his pace and trickery.

Sweden, despite boasting Premier League stars Viktor Gyökeres, Alexander Isak and Anthony Elanga, struggled to create opportunities as France’s relentless control denied them space and possession.

The warning signs had come early when Mbappé had a goal ruled out for offside after being played through by Olise in the 20th minute. France continued to pile on the pressure, with Mbappé striking the post, Adrien Rabiot firing narrowly over and Olise producing an acrobatic overhead kick that crashed against the upright before Dembélé squandered the rebound.

The breakthrough eventually arrived on the stroke of half-time after Jacob Widell Zetterström tipped away an Olise effort. France worked the resulting corner brilliantly, allowing Dembélé and Olise to combine before Mbappé swept home.

France resumed with the same intensity after the break. Just eight minutes into the second half, Olise split Sweden’s defence with a perfectly weighted pass through the legs of Gustaf Lagerbielke for Barcola to finish emphatically.

Although Olise missed a chance to get on the scoresheet himself, he quickly made amends by delivering another exquisite assist for Mbappé to curl home France’s third and seal an impressive win.

Having brushed aside Sweden with authority, France now head into the knockout stages looking every inch one of the favourites to lift the World Cup trophy, while Paraguay face the daunting task of trying to halt Mbappé and his free-flowing teammates.