[2026 World Cup] 'Mbappe Tied as Top Scorer'... France Defeats Sweden 3-0 to Advance to Round of 16

Mbappe Scores Twice, Olise Provides Two Assists

France, led by Kylian Mbappe who scored his fifth and sixth goals of the tournament back-to-back, has advanced to the round of 16 in the 2026 North American World Cup. With these goals, Mbappe is now tied as the tournament's top scorer alongside Lionel Messi of Argentina.

On July 1 (Korean time), France defeated Sweden 3-0 in the round of 32 match at New Jersey Stadium in New York, United States, as part of the 2026 North American World Cup.

From the start, France dominated the match, maintaining over 70% possession. In the first half, France outshot Sweden 15 to 3 and had six shots on target compared to Sweden's one. Sweden, with Alexander Isak leading their attacks, occasionally attempted counterattacks but struggled to create clear chances.

Kylian Mbappe is celebrating with Coach Didier Deschamps after scoring his first goal in the Round of 32 match against Sweden for the 2026 North American World Cup on the 1st (Korean time). Photo by AP Yonhap News

Despite their commanding performance, France's opening goal did not come easily. In the 20th minute, Mbappe’s goal was disallowed for offside, and in the 36th minute, Michael Olise's shot hit the post.

However, just before halftime, Mbappe finally broke the deadlock. Inside the penalty box, he feinted past Viktor Gyokeres and curled a right-footed shot into the net, giving France the lead.

After the opening goal, France quickly added to their tally. In the 53rd minute, Olise delivered an accurate pass to Bradley Barcola inside the penalty box, and Barcola fired a powerful right-footed shot to score an additional goal.

In the 74th minute, Mbappe scored his second goal of the match. Olise once again provided a brilliant pass to Mbappe, who was making a run into the penalty area, and Mbappe calmly finished to seal the victory for France.

Mbappe and Olise were both substituted in the 84th minute, wrapping up their strong performances. Olise, who recorded two assists in the match, now leads the tournament with a total of five assists.

France will face Paraguay for a spot in the quarterfinals at Philadelphia Stadium in the United States at 6 a.m. on July 5 (Korean time). Paraguay secured their place in the round of 16 after defeating Germany in a penalty shootout the previous day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.