Mbappe Scores Six in Four Games as France Demolish Sweden 3-0: Paraguay Await in the Last 16

[ClaudioHerrera]

France produced the most complete performance of the knockout stage so far, dismantling Sweden 3-0 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Tuesday to advance to the round of 16 with a degree of ease that has the rest of the tournament's survivors watching nervously. Kylian Mbappe delivered a brace to take his tournament total to six goals, equalling Lionel Messi on the all-time World Cup leading scorer list for this edition, while Michael Olise continued his extraordinary tournament with two more assists, bringing his total for the competition to five. Olise found Mbappe for the first, threading a precise pass through Sweden's defensive line, and then set up Bradley Barcola for a clinical second-half finish before again providing for Mbappe's sixth of the tournament.

The match was closer than the scoreline suggested for the opening half-hour, with Sweden's Graham Potter-coached side defending compactly and frustrating France's movement. Mbappe had a goal ruled out for offside in the opening exchanges before the dam broke just before half-time. Once France took the lead the contest was effectively settled. Sweden had been brittle all tournament, having leaked five goals against the Netherlands in the group stage and seven overall, and France's attacking depth is simply on a different level from anything they have faced.

Deschamps missed the Norway group game flying back to Europe after the death of his mother, an extraordinarily difficult personal context in which to be managing the world's most watched football tournament. His emotional celebration with Mbappe after the French captain's goal carried the weight of a difficult week. France face Paraguay on Saturday July 4 in Philadelphia, Germany's shock conquerors, and will be expected to advance comfortably. Beyond that, England or Congo DR await in the quarter-final.

France vs. Sweden score, 2026 FIFA World Cup: Kylian Mbappe and Les Bleus eliminate Sweden, Paraguay up nextwww.cbssports.com

[DQ Eric]

Olise with five assists in the tournament is the numbers line that needs emphasising more. He is not just a creator, he is the creator of the tournament to date, and France are set up specifically to funnel the ball through him at the right moments

[Amber90]

Deschamps managing a World Cup knockout campaign while dealing with his mother's death is a dimension of the France story that gets understandably reduced in football coverage. The emotional celebration with Mbappe after the goal was one of the genuinely moving moments of the tournament

[Clever Erin]

Sweden were never going to stop France. They gave up five to the Netherlands in the group stage. France are a different quality entirely. The question was always how many and how comfortable, not whether

[PhotonBurst76]

Six Mbappe goals in four games puts him in genuinely elite World Cup company. He is going to surpass Messi's total in this specific tournament if France reach the semi-final, which looks likely

[Quarry18]

Paraguay eliminating Germany and now facing France is one of those bracket stories that makes the expanded format compelling. A South American underdog who pulled off the shock of the round of 32 now gets to face the tournament favourites. Football writes these scripts

[SpinState52]

France's quarter-final being England or Congo DR gives the top half of the bracket an interesting range of outcomes. France vs England would be the most-watched game since the 2022 final. France vs Congo DR would be an extraordinary story in its own right

[Kane]

France v England for 3rd Place now (bronze match or whatever they call it)

[Merchant89]

The Swedish side played with real organisation for thirty minutes before the quality difference told. Potter is a good coach and they gave France more to think about than the scoreline implies. The tournament is not kind to teams that concede first against this France side