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France on record breaking spree, enters round of 16 with a 3-0 win over Sweden
Hero of France’s triumphant march has been Kylian Mbappe. He is now within one goal of Lionel Messi’s overall tournament mark, as his two goals led France to a dominant 3-0 win over Sweden.
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Prabhjot Paul Singh - Wed, 01, Jul 2026
- 17:09 EDT
- 20
France enters World Cup round of 16 / X
Led by the illustrious Kylian Mbappe, pre-tournament favourites France have been on a record-setting spree in the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Kylian Mbappe has not only broken the record for most goals in World Cup knockout matches but also helped France set a new mark in recording the biggest win for France in the knockout round of the World. France defeated Sweden 3-0.
Also Read: FIFA world Cup 2026: Canada scores another first
Mexico, also joined co-host Canada, in the round of 16. Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-0 in a game that had the home crowds cheering every good move of its team. Mexico, like France, has also maintained a winning streak in the tournament so far by winning against South Africa (2-0), South Korea (1-0) and Czechia (3-0). So far, the Mexicans have not conceded even a single goal in four games, a record of sorts.
Norway, too, made the round of 16 with a convincing 2-1 win over Ivory Coast. Norway will now play Brazil on July 4 in its round of 16 match.
Incidentally, it is also a record that France has won all its four matches in this World Cup so far by scoring at least three goals in each game.
France defeated Senegal 3-1, beat Iraq 3-0, humbled Norway 4-1 before winning the round of 32 game against Sweden 3-0.
Hero of France’s triumphant march has been Kylian Mbappe. He is now within one goal of Lionel Messi’s overall tournament mark, as his two goals led France to a dominant 3-0 win over Sweden.
The victory, France's biggest in a World Cup knockout match since their 3-0 win over Brazil in the 1998 final, sets up a round-of-16 matchup against Paraguay. Paraguay had conquered Germany on its way to the round of 16.
"I'm very aware of who I am, how I play, what I shall do, but it's not just about me," Mbappé said through 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."
Playing against Sweden, Mbappé scored a terrific individual effort in the 45th minute, following a brilliant crossover step. That was ninth goal in the knockout stage of the World Cup, breaking a tie with Brazilian greats Leonidas and Ronaldo for the most in the tournament's history.
The 27-year-old Mbappé ran immediately to coach Didier Deschamps after scoring. This was Deschamps' first game back on the sideline after missing the group stage finale against Norway to fly back to Europe for his mother's funeral.
The game was still not over for Mbappé. After Bradley Barcola scored France's second goal early in the second half, Mbappé added a classy third in the 74th minute, latching onto a perfectly weighted pass from Michael Olise and finishing expertly into the far side of the net.
Mbappé's sixth goal of this year's tournament tied him with captain of Argentina Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
With 18 goals in 18 World Cup games, he moved one behind Messi on the all-time scoring list. Messi has played in 29 World Cup games in his career.
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