- Kylian Mbappé Scored Twice as France Defeated Sweden
- Mbappé set a new World Cup knockout goals record with nine goals.
- France advanced to face Paraguay in the World Cup quarter-finals.
Kylian Mbappé delivered another historic performance as France defeated Sweden 3-0 to book their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the Real Madrid forward setting a new tournament record for goals scored in knockout matches.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the victory at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, was France’s biggest World Cup knockout win since their 3-0 triumph over Brazil in the 1998 final. The result also secured a quarter-final clash against Paraguay, who eliminated Germany in the previous round.
Mbappé opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time with a brilliant solo effort after beating his marker before firing beyond Swedish goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström. The goal was his ninth in World Cup knockout matches, surpassing Brazilian legends Leonidas and Ronaldo to become the competition’s all-time leading scorer in the knockout stage.
The France captain celebrated the goal with head coach Didier Deschamps, who had returned to the touchline after missing the final group stage match following the death of his mother.
“He knows that he will never be alone with us and we will support him,” Mbappé said.
France doubled their advantage early in the second half through Bradley Barcola after an excellent assist from Michael Olise.
Mbappé completed the scoring in the 74th minute, expertly finishing another Olise pass to register his sixth goal of the tournament. The strike moved him level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot and left him just one goal behind the Argentine’s all-time World Cup scoring record.
“I’m very aware of who I am, how I play, what I shall do, but it’s not just about me,” Mbappé said.
“The entire team is aware of what should be done. It is a new competition that has started today. We did play well, but we were timid. We could have done better at the beginning.”
Olise continued his impressive tournament by providing two assists, taking his tally to five, the highest by any player at a men’s World Cup since 1994.
France dominated throughout the contest, outshooting Sweden 25-7 despite the challenging conditions, with temperatures reaching 32 degrees Celsius at kick-off.
France will now face Paraguay for a place in the semi-finals, while Sweden exit the tournament after reaching the knockout stage.
