Mbappe's Brace Helps France Eliminate Sweden, Equals Messi's Goal Tally in the Top Scorers List.

Kylian Mbappe once again proved the difference maker as the France national team booked their place in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16. The captain scored a brace to guide Les Bleus to a commanding 3-0 win over Sweden in this Round of 32 fixture, hosted at the New York New Jersey Stadium early Wednesday morning WIB.

This victory further solidifies France's status as one of the strongest title contenders. Not only did they dominate match flow, Les Bleus also displayed lethal attacking efficiency that Sweden's backline was unable to contain.

France took full control of ball possession right from kick-off, though it was Sweden who created the first clear goalscoring chance of the match.

Bradley Barcola tried his luck with an effort in the 19th minute, but his strike flew over the crossbar.

One minute later, Mbappe found the back of Sweden's net only for the goal to be ruled out, as the Real Madrid forward was judged to have been in an offside position before receiving the pass.

Adrien Rabiot then saw his 30th minute shot parried away by Sweden goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom.

Two minutes after that, Mbappe threatened once again. On this occasion his strike crashed against the crossbar.

Michael Olise came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock with a spectacular bicycle kick in the 36th minute, only for his effort to also hit the woodwork, before Ousmane Dembele failed to convert the loose rebound.

France's long-awaited opening goal finally arrived in the 45th minute. Receiving possession on the right flank, Mbappe unleashed an accurate curling finish into the far corner of the goal, closing the first half with France holding a 1-0 lead.

After the half time interval, Didier Deschamps' side tightened their grip on the match even further.

This sustained pressure paid off in the 53rd minute, when Michael Olise played a pinpoint assist through the legs of the Swedish defence. Bradley Barcola converted calmly without hesitation to double France's advantage to 2-0.

Despite Zetterstrom pulling off multiple outstanding saves throughout the fixture, the Swedish goalkeeper's resistance was broken once more in the 74th minute. Having beaten the offside trap cleanly, Mbappe netted his second goal of the night to extend France's lead to 3-0.

With this brace, Mbappe has drawn level with Lionel Messi at the top of the current World Cup goalscoring rankings.