Kylian Mbappé scored twice to lead France to a 3-0 victory over Sweden on Tuesday, tying Lionel Messi for the World Cup lead with six goals and setting a new record for knockout round scoring. The win advances France to a round of 16 match against Paraguay.
Mbappé opened the scoring in the 45th minute with a crossover step move and added a second-half goal in the 74th minute. Bradley Barcola contributed France's second goal in the 53rd minute. With his second two-goal performance in four matches, Mbappé now has 18 career World Cup goals, one shy of Messi's record.
His 10 knockout round goals surpass the previous record held by Brazilian legends Leonidas and Ronaldo. France coach Didier Deschamps acknowledged Mbappé's achievement, stating, "We’re on a mission. — so am I with them."
France, the runner-up from four years ago and a tournament favorite, has outscored opponents 13-2 in the current competition. Michael Olise has assisted on five goals.
"They are skilled at knowing when to change the pace and increase it, when to possess the ball, went to fall back," said Sweden captain Victor Lindelöf.
France will face Paraguay on July 4 in Philadelphia. The winner will advance to a quarterfinal against either Canada or Morocco.
The match was played in sweltering conditions, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) and high humidity. France outshot Sweden 25-7 overall. In the first half, Mbappé hit the post in the 32nd minute, and France nearly scored on a bicycle kick from Olise that also struck the post.
For France's first goal, Olise's shot was tipped by Sweden's goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström, leading to a short corner kick. Ousmane Dembélé passed to Mbappé near the byline, and Mbappé capitalized. Mbappé celebrated his 61st international goal by colliding with Dembélé and then hugging Deschamps, who had returned for the match after attending his mother's funeral.
"He knows that he will never be alone with us and we will support him," Mbappé said regarding Deschamps.
France's second goal came after Aurélien Tchouaméni passed to Olise, who nutmegged Lagerbielke. Barcola then received the ball, took a centering touch, and scored past Zetterström. Mbappé's final goal was set up by Barcola and Olise, with Mbappé sprinting into the penalty area to score.
The attendance of 80,663 raised the tournament's total attendance to over 5 million. Fans were predominantly in France's blue, with a section of Sweden's yellow.
"If we look at where we were not so long ago — we’re here and we’ve played in the World Cup," Lindelöf commented. "We lost against one of the best countries in the world."
Mbappé expressed a desire to rest after the game, saying, "I’m looking forward to the changing room and the AC."