Mbappé double and Olise brilliance sink Sweden 3-0: France cruise into World Cup quarter-finals

Match recap

France dominated possession and created numerous chances from the start, with Mbappé hitting the post and having a goal disallowed for offside before breaking through just before halftime. The captain danced through the Sweden defence after a short corner with Ousmane Dembélé to fire past Jacob Widell Zetterström. Bradley Barcola made it 2-0 eight minutes into the second half, finishing a perfectly weighted through-ball from Michael Olise. Olise then set up Mbappé for his second with another exquisite pass, sealing a comfortable win. Sweden managed only two shots on target, both in stoppage time, as the French defence recorded a second clean sheet of the tournament.

Mbappé's record chase

The double took Mbappé to six goals in this World Cup, drawing him level with Lionel Messi at the top of the scoring charts (though the Argentine has yet to play his round-of-16 match). The Real Madrid forward now has 18 World Cup goals across three editions, trailing only Messi's all-time record of 19. His opener also made him the outright record-holder for most goals in World Cup knockout matches. After scoring, Mbappé and his teammates rushed to embrace coach Didier Deschamps, who had missed the previous game to attend his mother's funeral.

Olise's artistry

Michael Olise, the Bayern Munich midfielder, provided his fourth and fifth assists of the competition, continuing a sublime creative run. His pass for Barcola was threaded between a defender's legs, while his delivery for Mbappé's second was a lofted ball behind the back line. Olise is now one assist short of Pelé's 1966 record of six assists in a single World Cup. The 24-year-old has been central to France's free-scoring attack, which has now netted 13 goals in four matches.

Deschamps' return and tactical choices

Didier Deschamps made three changes from the Norway group game, bringing in Lucas Digne at left-back, starting Barcola on the left wing, and pairing Adrien Rabiot with Aurélien Tchouaméni in midfield. All three moves paid off, with Barcola scoring and the midfield controlling Sweden's counter-attacks. The coach was back on the touchline after missing the Norway match to attend his mother's funeral, and his players celebrated the opening goal with him.

It's a logical win, we had a margin but we still have to appreciate it.

Next hurdle: Paraguay

France will face Paraguay in the quarter-finals on 4 July at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Paraguay caused a huge upset by eliminating Germany in the round of 16. The meeting revives memories of the 1998 encounter, when Laurent Blanc's golden goal sent France past Paraguay in Lens. Deschamps was on the pitch that day and will hope for a similar outcome as his team continues its quest for a third World Cup title.