Boston, Jul 01 (V7N)- France booked their place in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Sweden in their Round of 32 clash, as Kylian Mbappé scored twice and Michael Olise delivered another outstanding creative performance.
France took control of the match from the opening stages and went into halftime with a 1-0 lead after Mbappé found the net in the 45th minute.
Didier Deschamps' side continued their dominance after the break. In the 53rd minute, Bradley Barcola doubled France's advantage by finishing a perfectly weighted pass from Michael Olise, who once again demonstrated his exceptional vision and creativity.
Mbappé completed his brace midway through the second half to seal a convincing 3-0 victory and ensure France's progression to the last 16.
The two goals take Mbappé's tally to six in the tournament, drawing him level with Lionel Messi in the race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot.
The French captain also reached another major milestone, taking his overall World Cup goal tally to 18—moving into second place on the all-time World Cup scoring list behind Messi, who leads with 19 goals.
Meanwhile, Michael Olise continued his remarkable tournament by registering another assist for Barcola's goal. The French midfielder has now equaled the record for the most assists in a single FIFA World Cup tournament, matching the mark set by German midfielder Thomas Häßler at the 1994 World Cup.
Mbappé came close to completing a hat-trick late in the match but was substituted in the 85th minute by Deschamps, with Jean-Philippe Mateta replacing the French star.
With a dominant display and several individual milestones achieved, France now advance confidently to the Round of 16 as they continue their pursuit of a third FIFA World Cup title.
END/SMA/AJ
