France star Kylian Mbappé shone on Wednesday in the World Cup with a record-breaking night and a 3–0 win over Sweden.
Mbappé scored two goals in the win at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which moved him up in the record books for the most goals in knockout matches. He also came within a goal of Argentina star Lionel Messi’s overall World Cup goal record, across group play and the knockout rounds combined. Mbappé has 18 career goals in 18 matches, and Messi has 19 goals in 29 career matches.
“I’m very aware of who I am, how I play, what I shall do, but it’s not just about me,” Mbappé told reporters afterward via a translator. “The entire team is aware of what should be done. It is a new competition that has started today. We did play well, but we were timid. We could have done better at the beginning.”
France didn’t score until right before halftime in the 45th minute of the match. Mbappé scored that goal, and his second came at the 74-minute mark. Bradley Barcola scored France’s second goal in the 53rd minute. Barcola credited Olise, who assisted on the score.
“He does everything on the pitch,” Barcola told reporters regarding Olise.
“He works hard defensively and with the ball, he does great passes, brings danger, and it’s a real pleasure to play with him.
“He has the capacity of scoring too, and he came close, but it will come. He is a genius. I see him as a genius.”
France possessed the ball 61 percent of the time, compared to Sweden’s 39 percent. The French outshot Sweden 12-3 for shots on goal, and France had six big chances created, while Sweden had none.
“We had to be perfect, and even if we were, I’m not sure that would have been enough, if I’m brutally honest, because the opponent was at a high level,” Sweden head coach Graham Potter told reporters afterward.
“You look at the careers and the CVs of the French team, you compare them to ours, where we’re at—we’re a young developing team with hopefully a lot of good things ahead of us.”
Sweden goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom stopped nine shots overall in a match that didn’t go his team’s way as time went on.
France goalkeeper Mike Maignan recorded three saves in the clean-sheet victory. Maignan has allowed only two goals in four starts for the tournament.
Mbappé, who also plays for Real Madrid, has nine career goals in World Cup knockout games after Wednesday’s victory. He surpassed former Brazil stars Leonidas and Ronaldo, both of whom Mbappé had been tied with.
Mbappé is also in the running for the Golden Boot award for the top goal scorer in the World Cup. He has six goals in the tournament thus far.
For France head coach Didier Deschamps, Mbappé’s first goal of the night had extra meaning since Mbappé dedicated it to him. Deschamps missed time before Tuesday’s match because of his mother’s death.
“Kylian’s gesture really touched me,” Deschamps told reporters afterward. “He is our captain, and I’m not just saying nice things for the sake of it but because he has been exemplary from day one.”
France will play Paraguay next on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Sweden saw its tournament come to an end in the country’s 13th appearance.
“If we look at where we were not so long ago—we’re here, and we’ve played in the World Cup,” Sweden defender Victor Lindelöft told reporters afterward. “We lost against one of the best countries in the world.”
As for Paraguay, the upstart team that just knocked off Germany, it will draw one of the hottest teams left in France. The French have scored at least three goals each time out.
