World Cup 2026: Mbappe double fires France past Sweden into Round of 16

World Cup 2026: Mbappe double fires France past Sweden into Round of 16

Kylian Mbappé delivered another world-class performance on Tuesday night, scoring twice as France cruised to a dominant 3-0 victory over Sweden in the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

France created chances throughout the contest and eventually overwhelmed Sweden with their pace, movement, and attacking quality to secure a place in the Round of 16, where they will now face Paraguay.

France thought they had taken the lead in the 21st minute when Mbappe found the net. Unfortunately, the joy was short-lived after the goal was ruled out for offside.

Despite the setback, France continued to dominate possession and attack with intensity.

Mbappe came close again in the 32nd minute after drifting into the penalty area to receive an excellent pass. The French captain struck from close range, but his effort crashed against the left post.

Four minutes later, Michael Olise unleashed a powerful volley from outside the box that smashed against the right post. The rebound fell kindly for Ousmane Dembélé, but he failed to convert the follow-up opportunity.

France finally found the breakthrough in first-half stoppage time. Following a corner kick, the ball broke loose inside the penalty area and Mbappe reacted quickest, blasting a powerful finish inside the right post to give France a deserved 1-0 lead heading into the interval.

France continued their dominance after the restart and doubled their lead in the 53rd minute.

Olise produced another moment of quality with a clever pass into the box for Bradley Barcola, who curled a superb effort into the top left corner beyond Jacob Widell Zetterström.

Olise remained at the heart of France’s attacking threat and nearly added a goal of his own in the 61st minute with a fierce strike from the edge of the box.

Zetterstrom reacted brilliantly to push the shot away and prevent Sweden from falling further behind.

Mbappe completed his brace in the 74th minute after another excellent French attacking move.

Olise threaded a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of the forward, who reacted quickly to beat the goalkeeper and calmly finish into the right side of the net to make it 3-0.

The victory sends France comfortably into the Round of 16 as one of the strongest-looking teams remaining in the competition.

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