Kylian Mbappe and Bradley Barcola score, while Michael Olise wows, as France beat Sweden 3-0 to reach last 16.Published On 30 Jun 202630 Jun 2026Kylian Mbappe scored twice, and Michael Olise was in scintillating form as France beat Sweden 3-0 at the World Cup and set up a last-16 clash with Paraguay.Mbappe finished a superb move to break the deadlock just before half-time on Tuesday in the last-32 tie, watched by 80,663 at New York New Jersey Stadium, after France had already hit the woodwork twice, once through Mbappe and once through Olise.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe French were on top throughout against a limited Swedish side, utterly dominating in terms of possession and shots on goal.Olise set up Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola for the second goal on 53 minutes, and then delivered a delightful pass for Mbappe to complete a convincing victory.Mbappe’s strikes saw him move level with Lionel Messi on six goals in the all-star golden boot race at this World Cup.The France captain now has 18 World Cup goals in total, meaning he is just one behind Messi’s overall record of 19, a mark 27-year-old Mbappe will keep chasing.He celebrated his first goal by running across to embrace coach Didier Deschamps, who missed France’s final group game against Norway to travel home for his mother’s funeral.Deschamps will step down at the end of the competition after 14 highly successful years in charge.Going out in the last 32 would have been an anticlimactic way to depart for Deschamps, who captained the first France team to win the World Cup in 1998 and coached them to glory in 2018.In 1998, France’s run to victory on home soil included a 1-0 last-16 win over Paraguay, when Laurent Blanc scored a golden goal in extra time. Advertisement Les Bleus will face the South Americans in the last 16 again, on Satur …
