Mbappe on a mission as France deliver ‘Statement Win’ to knock out Sweden 3-0
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ —
Kylian Mbappe wrote his name deeper into World Cup history as France produced a dominant 3-0 win over Sweden in the Round of 32 at MetLife Stadium on Tuesday.
Mbappe makes history, again
Mbappe struck twice to take his World Cup knockout-stage tally to 10 goals, the most in the competition’s history. He now has 18 World Cup goals overall — just one behind Lionel Messi’s record of 19.
With 6 goals in the tournament, Mbappe is also level with Messi at the top of the 2026 Golden Boot race. Sandwiched between Mbappe’s goals was an excellent team finish from Bradley Barcola, who made it 2-0 with France’s second of the night.
After the game, Mbappe was typically “matter-of-fact” about the milestones.
“I’m fully aware of what’s at stake, where I am, and what I have to do. The team knows what it has to do here as well… We played well today, even though we had a difficult start,” he said.
Deschamps: ‘He’s on a mission’
France boss Didier Deschamps, who appointed Mbappe captain in March 2023 after Hugo Lloris retired, was full of praise for his forward.
“Kylian knows how to defend. He scores goals too – more than anyone else. I told you from day one: he’s on a mission. Even if you don’t always hear me say it. Even in the fitness drills, he was finishing first,” Deschamps said.
“I said a long time ago that he has embraced his role as captain. The image people may have of him from the outside doesn’t always – in fact, only rarely – reflect who he really is.”
‘We weren’t ready to go home’
Sweden head coach Graham Potter admitted his side were outclassed but proud of the effort from his young squad.
“Mixed, as you can imagine, because we are so disappointed to go out. We weren’t ready to go home. But I am so proud of the team. It is a young team, and it is a bridge too far for us today in terms of the quality of the opponent we are playing against,” Potter said.
He added that Sweden started well: “The first period, we were quite stable, and then we stepped back a little bit too much in the second period of the first half. It’s not easy with the quality they have. It is disappointing that we couldn’t hold on and get to 0-0 at half-time.”
What’s next
France now turn their attention to the last 16, where they will face Paraguay on Saturday in Philadelphia, with Mbappe just one goal away from matching Messi’s record and chasing a second World Cup title.
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