Mbappé Nets Brace as France Cruises Past Sweden to Reach World Cup Knockouts
New Jersey. Kylian Mbappé and France are sizzling — and not just because of MetLife Stadium's broiling conditions.
Mbappé scored twice for his third two-goal game of the World Cup and set a career record for goals in the tournament's knockout rounds, leading Les Bleus to a 3-0 victory over Sweden on Tuesday to book a Round of 16 clash against Paraguay.
"I personally haven't seen a better team," Sweden coach Graham Potter said. "The quality they have all over the pitch, and then the options they have off the bench, are very, very strong. They've got as good a chance as anybody, I would suggest."
The 27-year-old France star opened the scoring with a brilliant crossover move in the 45th minute before adding his sixth goal of the tournament in the 74th, tying Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot lead. Mbappé now has 18 goals in 18 World Cup matches, one shy of Messi's career tournament record of 19 goals in 29 appearances.
Bradley Barcola scored France's second in the 53rd minute as Les Bleus became the first nation to score three or more goals in five consecutive World Cup matches.
"I'm very aware of who I am, how I play, what I should do, but it's not just about me," Mbappé said through a translator. "The entire team is aware of what should be done. It's a new competition that started today. We played well, but we were timid. We could have done better at the beginning."
Mbappé's 10 knockout-stage goals are two more than the previous World Cup record shared by Brazilian greats Leonidas and Ronaldo.
France coach Didier Deschamps bowed to Mbappé after substituting him in the 85th minute.
"We're on a mission — and so am I with them," Deschamps said through a translator.
France has outscored opponents 13-2 in the tournament. Michael Olise has five assists, the most by a player at a World Cup since Germany's Thomas Hassler also had five in 1994.
"They're skilled at knowing when to change the pace and increase it, when to keep possession, and when to fall back," Sweden captain Victor Lindelöf said through a translator.
Seeking to reach its third consecutive World Cup final, France will face Paraguay on July 4 in Philadelphia. The winner advances to a quarterfinal against Canada or Morocco five days later in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
It was 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), sunny and humid for the 5 p.m. kickoff, with poor air quality at the venue that will host the July 19 final. Many fans in the club sections stayed inside their air-conditioned suites.
France outshot Sweden 25-7 in the nations' first-ever World Cup meeting, including 15-3 in the first half.
Mbappé struck the post in the 32nd minute, throwing both hands into the air in frustration. Four minutes later, France nearly broke through when Olise's spectacular bicycle kick from just inside the penalty area also rattled the post.
"I said I thought we needed a couple of miracles," Potter said. "We had a couple, but we ran out of them. So we needed a few more."
Mbappé finally broke the deadlock after goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström tipped Olise's shot just wide.
Olise played a short corner to Ousmane Dembélé, who found Mbappé near the byline. Mbappé beat Viktor Gyökeres with a crossover move before firing a diagonal shot from just outside the 6-yard box inside the far post.
Mbappé celebrated by sprinting toward midfield, where he collided with Dembélé, before jogging to the bench to embrace Deschamps, who returned to the team after attending his mother's funeral in France.
"He knows he'll never be alone with us, and we'll support him," Mbappé said.
France doubled its lead after Gustaf Lagerbielke lost possession. Aurélien Tchouaméni found Olise, who nutmegged Lagerbielke before feeding Barcola. After settling the ball with his first touch, Barcola fired past Zetterström's outstretched right hand.
Mbappé delighted the crowd with a backheel pass to Barcola in the buildup to France's third goal — the 62nd of his international career. Barcola returned the ball to Olise, whose through pass sent Mbappé racing into the penalty area. Mbappé took one touch before slotting his shot inside the far post.
"We continue to deliver great performances," Mbappé said.
The crowd of 80,663 pushed total attendance for the expanded 104-match tournament past 5 million. Most fans wore France's blue, although a pocket of Sweden supporters in yellow gathered behind one goal.
"I have no complaints whatsoever about the players," Potter said. "I told them after the game I don't think it's a disgrace to lose to France. For us, it's about using this as a foundation to move forward and being proud of what we've done so far."
Speaking moments after the final whistle, Mbappé wasn't ready to think about Paraguay just yet.
"I'm looking forward to the changing room and the AC," he said.
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