Mbappe brace powers France into World Cup last 16

Kylian Mbappe scored twice as France cruised to a 3-0 victory over Sweden on Tuesday to book a place in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup, where they will face Paraguay.

The France captain opened the scoring just before halftime at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey after a dominant first-half display in which Les Bleus twice struck the woodwork through Mbappe and Michael Olise.

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France continued to control proceedings after the break, with Olise producing another outstanding performance. The Bayern Munich winger set up Bradley Barcola for the second goal in the 53rd minute before providing a superb assist for Mbappe to complete the scoring in the 74th minute.

Mbappe’s brace took his tally to six goals at the tournament, drawing him level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. The 27-year-old also moved to 18 career World Cup goals, just one behind Messi’s overall record of 19.

The forward celebrated his opening goal by embracing head coach Didier Deschamps, who recently returned to the squad after attending his mother’s funeral. Deschamps is expected to step down after the tournament, ending a highly successful 14-year spell in charge.

France dominated possession and created numerous chances throughout, with Ousmane Dembele, Olise and Barcola constantly troubling the Swedish defence.

Sweden, managed by Graham Potter, struggled to create meaningful opportunities despite boasting attacking talents including Viktor Gyokeres, Alexander Isak and Anthony Elanga. Their World Cup campaign ended in the Round of 32 after qualifying through the play-offs.

Les Bleus will now take on Paraguay in Philadelphia for a place in the quarter-finals, with their impressive display further underlining their status as one of the favourites to win the tournament.