Mbappé scores, Olise leads the way, and France dominates. The Real Madrid forward scored a brace on Tuesday, crushing Sweden (3-0) and sending France to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup, where Paraguay—Germany’s unexpected conqueror—awaits.
No. 10 scored just before halftime after several minutes of French pressure on Zetterström’s goal. Barcola scored the second goal in the 53rd minute off a pass from Olise, who also set up Mbappé for the third goal in the 74th minute at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Mbappé and Olise sparked the French onslaught
The Bayern Munich forward is a contender for the title of “all-around player.”
He dominated the game for Didier Deschamps’ team with overwhelming superiority and nearly scored one of the most spectacular goals of the World Cup.
With a shot that hit the post at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Mbappé is still going strong and has already scored six goals.
He ties Messi in this edition and is now just one goal behind the Argentine star in the tournament’s all-time scoring leaderboard.
Sweden showed very little fight and held on until France decided to step it up a notch.
Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres’ determination to fight for every ball wasn’t enough to hold their own.
France will now face Paraguay in the quarterfinals, a team emboldened by its victory over Germany in a penalty shootout on July 4 in Philadelphia.
Although the start of this round of 16 was perfect for taking a nap.
On the field, two teams went head-to-head in a closely contested match, without taking any risks (Filed under: Mbappé leads France).
France ramped up the pressure until it completely overwhelmed Sweden
Sweden, playing deep as a unit; France, calling the shots, taking its time.
“Les Bleus” didn’t test Zetterström for the first time until the 15th minute, with Digne taking the shot.
The Scandinavians held their ground for the first half-hour thanks to their disciplined defense, Gyökeres’ tireless effort, and Isak’s speed into open space.
But Deschamps’s team gradually found their rhythm and eventually unleashed their full arsenal, especially after the first water break.
Earlier, Mbappé saw the linesman disallow a goal of his because he was half a body length offside.
And after the “mini-break,” a gale.
Rabiot from long range, Mbappé hits the post with an open net, another rocket from Rabiot…
Olise nearly scored with a spectacular scissor kick inside the box, but the ball hit the post. It just keeps happening.
Graham Potter’s team was outplayed.
Proof of this is that the referee and VAR overlooked a very hard tackle by Lindelöf on Olise (Filed under: Mbappé leads France).
Mbappé broke the deadlock, and France sealed the victory with authority
The last five minutes of the first half were a veritable barrage of French attacks, culminating in Mbappé’s marvel.
It was a strategic move.
A short corner kick, a give-and-go, an assist from Dembélé, and Bondy’s skill allowed him to beat Gyökeres and fire the ball into the far post.
And there it is—the fifth goal, with a special dedication to Deschamps, who is mourning the recent passing of his mother.
In the second half, the Swedes came out lacking confidence, and France took advantage to seal the victory.
The second goal was the perfect example of a direct attack.
Two passes, a dribble, and a goal.
Tchouaméni passed to Olise, who then passed to Barcola, who controlled the ball and fired a powerful shot to make it 2-0.
The worst news for Sweden is that there was still more than half an hour left before the final whistle (Filed under: Mbappé leads France).
Olise put on a show with his assists
France was on a roll and hungry for more.
Olise, once again, forced Zetterström to make another impressive save and then failed to finish a deadly counterattack.
He’s known for the passes that nobody sees.
That’s how he sent a pass to Mbappé that broke through the entire Swedish defensive line and left the number 10 alone to score his second goal of the game.
Mbappé’s sixth goal and Olise’s fifth assist in the World Cup.
Too easy. France is still looking for a rival (Filed under: Mbappé leads France).
Number 10 scored just before halftime
NuevaOnda.com
Technical Specifications
3. France: Mike Maignan; Lucas Digne (Theo Hernández, 78′), Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, Jules Koundé (Malo Gusto, 75′); Aurélien Tchouaméni, Adrien Rabiot; Michael Olise (Rayan Cherki, 85′); Ousmane Dembélé (Désiré Doué, 75′), Bradley Barcola, and Kylian Mbappé (Mateta, 85′).
Head Coach: Didier Deschamps
0. Sweden: Jacob Zetterström; Gustaf Lagerbielke, Victor Lindelöf, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Daniel Svensson (Daniel Svensson, 82′); Eliot Stroud (Taha Ali, 65′), Lucas Bergvall (Besfort Zeneli, 65′), Yasin Ayari (Benjamin Nygren, 82′); Anthony Elanga, Alexander Isak (Gustaf Nilsson, 89′) and Viktor Gyökeres.
Head Coach: Graham Potter
Goals: 1-0, 45′: Mbappé. 2-0, 53′: Barcola. 3-0, 74′: Mbappé.
Referee: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands). No yellow cards.
Match details: Round of 32 match of the 2026 World Cup, played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in front of 80,663 spectators. The stadium was sold out, according to FIFA.
With information from EFE
For more information, visit NuevaOnda.com