Mbappé brace and Olise assists power France to dominant 3-0 win over Sweden at World Cup

Match action

France took control after a slow opening quarter of an hour and never looked back against a Sweden side that struggled to contain their movement. Bradley Barcola opened the scoring in the 52nd minute from an Olise pass before Mbappé added a second in the 74th minute, also teed up by the Bayern Munich playmaker. The captain completed his double later to round off a 3-0 scoreline that could have been heavier after Olise’s acrobatic effort hit the post and Ousmane Dembélé’s shot grazed the woodwork.

We did what was needed, even if the first quarter of an hour was a bit timid. The only small regret is not having been more efficient in the first half, which could have put the game away. Afterwards, we made them run so much that in the second half they were more fatigued.

Mbappé’s milestone

Mbappé’s two goals took his career World Cup tally to 19, drawing him within one of Lionel Messi’s record of 20. The 27-year-old has achieved the feat in only three tournaments, compared to six for the Argentine, and his movement and finishing drew comparisons with the all-time greats from the global press.

Olise the orchestrator

Michael Olise continued his standout tournament with two assists, bringing his total to five for the competition. That haul equals the mark set by legends including Pelé, Maradona and Pierre Littbarski for assists at a single World Cup. Operating as a number ten behind Mbappé, Olise repeatedly dropped deep to collect the ball and threaded passes through the Swedish defence, prompting admiring comments from teammates and opponents.

I thought he would control with his chest, because he didn’t look at the goal before. It was a fantastic move, he was unlucky, but we go to the stadium to see that kind of move.

He’s a good player, of course it’s difficult to defend against him, he has enormous qualities.

Global acclaim

International newspapers lavished praise on the French display. Spain’s AS called it ‘a French cyclone’ and highlighted ‘goals and magic’ from Mbappé and Olise, while Marca said the team’s superiority was becoming ‘obscene’. In the UK, The Guardian described a ‘masterclass’ and noted that France appeared not yet to have peaked. Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport labelled it ‘a spectacle’ and marvelled at Mbappé’s impact. Catalan daily Sport compared Sweden to ‘a toy without batteries’.

Path ahead

France will face Paraguay in the last 16 after the South Americans stunned Germany on penalties. The match is scheduled for Saturday 4 July at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, with kick-off at 23:00 CEST. Didier Deschamps cautioned that the campaign is far from over.

In four days, we know what awaits us. We’ll have to do it again against an opponent with different qualities. Obviously France has very great players… let’s be capable of doing it again!