Mbappé and Olise thrash Sweden and will test Paraguay's resilience in the Round of 16

The formidable French squad, led by the insatiable Kylian Mbappé, thrashed Sweden 3-0 on Tuesday in East Rutherford and advanced to the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, where it will test Paraguay's resilience.

The Real Madrid star, with his third two-goal game of the tournament (45', 74'), once again carried the Bleus on his shoulders, as they showcased their wide-ranging offensive repertoire and remain undefeated with four wins in the World Cup.

Bradley Barcola (53') sealed the win for France, which will face Uruguay on Saturday in Philadelphia, a team emboldened after eliminating Germany on Monday in the biggest upset of the tournament so far.

The French steamroller cruised through the outskirts of New York, which watched in awe as a team that is growing with every match on its path to a third World Cup title, following its victories in 1998 and 2018.

It’s not just about Mbappé’s goals—he tied Lionel Messi (6 goals) as the top scorer in North America and is one goal away from tying the Argentine star’s record as the all-time leading scorer (19) in soccer’s premier tournament.

When the captain is absent or off target, Didier Deschamps’ men turn to the boundless creativity of Michael Olise, the tournament’s leading assist provider with five assists, or the finesse of Ousmane Dembélé.

And if that trio isn’t on its game, Adrien Rabiot drives the World Cup runners-up forward from midfield or rattles the opponent’s net with powerful long-range shots.

A tribute to Deschamps

All of the above unfolded relentlessly at MetLife Stadium, packed with 80,663 spectators—mostly boisterous French fans—where the Swedes avoided a historic thrashing thanks to the goalposts, French miscues, or the reflexes of goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström.

Sweden's coach, Graham Potter, who advanced to the Round of 32 as one of the best third-place finishers, never hid the threat his team was facing.

But his predictions fell short against a French team that even produced some spectacular plays, such as a bicycle kick by Olise (35') that crashed into the base of the post.

Mbappé opened the scoring with a beautiful individual play, following a build-up between Olise and Dembélé, which culminated in a right-footed shot to the far post of the Scandinavian goalkeeper.

The joy of breaking through the Swedish defense turned into an emotional group hug between the players and Deschamps. Smiling, the coach surrendered to his players, who showed him their solidarity in this way following the death of his mother last week.

Olise, the conductor

After a furious first half that ended with a narrow 1-0 lead, France quickly quelled any attempt at a comeback by Sweden’s timid offense early in the second half, whose key players, Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres, barely threatened Mike Maignan’s goal.

Barcola, the main new addition to the French starting lineup, made his mark by converting an assist from Olise.

The winger from Bayern Munich, once again playing as a number 10, tied Bruno Guimarães for the World Cup lead in assists with that pass, both now having four assists.

He barely had to wait twenty minutes to overtake the Brazilian midfielder and, in the process, narrow the gap in the scoring race between Mbappé and Messi.

Olise, 24, drew a defender out of position and slipped the ball between two Swedish defenders, allowing the French star to find the back of the net, for the second time that day, with a shot that hit the far post.

After his third two-goal game in North America, Mbappé gave way to the towering Jean-Philippe Mateta. He left to applause from a MetLife Stadium crowd that hopes to see him again in the final on July 19.

With information from AFP