France advanced to the round of 16 with a commanding 3-0 victory over Sweden at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, a result that owed everything to the ruthless efficiency of Kylian Mbappé and the creative vision of Michael Olise. The French captain struck once in first-half stoppage time and again in the 74th minute, taking his career World Cup tally to 18 goals in as many appearances. He now stands alone in second place on the all-time list, having surpassed Miroslav Klose, and trails only Messi, who has 19. The brace also drew Mbappé level with the Argentine on six goals in the race for the Golden Boot, though the Frenchman leads the tiebreak on assists.

The contest was effectively settled in a seven-minute burst either side of the interval, but the scoreline only partially reflected French dominance. Didier Deschamps’ side registered 25 shots to Sweden’s seven and controlled 61 per cent of possession. Mbappé had a 20th-minute effort ruled out for offside and later struck the post, while Olise rattled the woodwork with an acrobatic bicycle kick. The breakthrough arrived from a short corner routine: Ousmane Dembélé and Olise combined to find Mbappé, who cut inside Viktor Gyökeres and drove a diagonal finish into the far corner. The striker immediately sprinted to embrace Deschamps, back on the touchline after missing the final group match to attend his mother’s funeral. Eight minutes after the restart, Olise threaded a pass through the legs of Gustaf Lagerbielke for Bradley Barcola to lash in the second. Olise then delivered his fifth assist of the tournament — a tournament high — releasing Mbappé to curl home the third.

Viewed from European capitals, the performance reinforced France’s status as the competition’s most complete side. Olise, operating in the pocket behind Mbappé, was the architect of almost every threatening move, while the midfield pivot of Aurélien Tchouaméni and Adrien Rabiot stifled Sweden’s attempts to build through the centre. Graham Potter’s team, which had reached the knockout phase via the play-offs, managed only sporadic threats; Alexander Isak’s early effort was comfortably held, and Viktor Gyökeres forced a late save from Mike Maignan. The attendance of 80,663 pushed the tournament’s cumulative crowd past five million, a milestone noted by organisers.

France will face Paraguay in Philadelphia on 4 July, a rematch of the 1998 round-of-16 tie decided by a Laurent Blanc golden goal. Paraguay advanced by eliminating Germany on penalties, and their defensive resilience will pose a different test. Mbappé, however, has now scored 10 goals in World Cup knockout matches — two more than any other player in history — and his pursuit of Messi’s record will dominate the narrative as the tournament moves into its decisive phase.