Kylian Mbappe delivered another statement performance as France eased to a 3 to 0 victory over Sweden, with the captain becoming the leading scorer in World Cup knockout history.
The French forward scored once in each half, taking his knockout stage tally to 10 goals and moving past former Brazil striker Ronaldo. His brace also lifted him to six goals in the tournament, level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
France had to deal with intense heat in New Jersey, but Didier Deschamps’ side started with purpose and quickly took control of the match. Mbappe thought he had opened the scoring in the 20th minute, only for the flag to go up for offside. Soon after, he struck the post from close range following a low delivery from Jules Kounde.
Michael Olise also came close with an acrobatic effort that hit the woodwork, while Ousmane Dembele missed the follow up. Sweden goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom kept his team alive with several important saves, but he could not stop Mbappe just before half time.
Dembele slipped a clever pass into the path of the French skipper, who stepped past Viktor Gyokeres and guided a composed finish into the far corner. Sweden almost responded immediately, but Elliot Stroud wasted a clear chance from inside the box.
After the break, France tightened their grip. Bradley Barcola made it 2 to 0 in the 53rd minute, finishing sharply at the near post after a smart pass from Olise. Dembele and Olise both forced more saves from Widell Zetterstrom as France continued to create chances with ease.
Mbappe completed the scoring in the 74th minute, collecting another excellent Olise pass before curling the ball beyond the Swedish keeper. Gyokeres had a late opportunity to pull one back, but Mike Maignan stood firm.
The result sets up a meeting with Paraguay in Philadelphia on Saturday, 4 July, at 22:00 BST. Paraguay advanced after beating Germany on penalties.
France now look like one of the strongest contenders to lift the trophy in New Jersey on 19 July. They won all three group matches for the first time since 1998 and are chasing a third straight World Cup final. With Mbappe in this kind of form, stopping them looks increasingly difficult.
