EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — Kylian Mbappé delivered another World Cup masterclass, scoring twice as France overwhelmed Sweden, 3-0, on Tuesday (Wednesday in the Philippines) to storm into the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 at MetLife Stadium.
The Real Madrid forward raised his tournament tally to six goals, tying Lionel Messi for the most goals in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while Bradley Barcola added another as France underlined its status as one of the tournament favorites.
France dominated possession from the opening whistle and consistently troubled Sweden’s defense, forcing goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström into a series of crucial saves to prevent a heavier defeat.
Mbappé appeared to have broken the deadlock midway through the opening half, only for the effort to be disallowed for a marginal offside.
The French captain finally found the breakthrough moments before halftime, curling a clinical finish past Zetterström to hand France a deserved 1-0 lead.
Barcola doubled the advantage in the 53rd minute after finishing a well-worked move set up by Michael Olise.
Mbappé completed his brace in the 74th minute, exchanging passes with Olise before rifling a shot into the roof of the net to put the result beyond doubt.
France comfortably protected its lead the rest of the way, with goalkeeper Mike Maignan denying Sweden’s best chance when he easily stopped Viktor Gyökeres’ attempt.
The convincing victory sends France into the Round of 16, where it will take on surprise qualifier Paraguay as Les Bleus continue their pursuit of a third FIFA World Cup crown.
Elsewhere, Erling Haaland struck the decisive goal in the 86th minute as Norway claimed its first-ever FIFA World Cup knockout victory with a 2-1 triumph over Ivory Coast.
Three Ivory Coast defenders collapsed on Patrick Berg inside the penalty area before he squared the ball to an unmarked Haaland, who buried his fifth goal in three matches of the tournament.
Antonio Nusa had given Norway the lead before Amad Diallo equalized for Ivory Coast in the 74th minute.
Co-host Mexico also secured a place in the Round of 16 after blanking Ecuador, 2-0, behind first-half goals from Julian Quiñones in the 22nd minute and Raúl Jiménez in the 31st./PN
