Mbappe scores twice as France beat Sweden 3-0, set up Paraguay clash

France produced another commanding display at the FIFA World Cup, defeating Sweden 3-0 to book their place in the next round with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice.

Michael Olise was at the heart of France’s attacking play and nearly opened the scoring with a spectacular overhead bicycle kick that struck the upright before Ousmane Dembele fired the rebound wide.

The breakthrough eventually came just before half-time after Olise’s initial effort was pushed behind by Sweden goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom. From the resulting corner, Dembele and Olise combined to find Mbappe, who made no mistake from close range.

Sweden attempted to respond after the break but fell further behind eight minutes into the second half. Olise produced another moment of brilliance, threading a pass through the legs of Gustaf Lagerbielke to send Bradley Barcola clear, and the forward finished emphatically to double France’s advantage.

Olise was denied when through on goal, but he continued to dictate proceedings and registered another outstanding assist in the 74th minute, setting up Mbappe to curl home his second goal of the match.

The convincing victory underlined France’s status as one of the tournament favourites. While sterner tests are expected later in the competition, Paraguay will face a formidable challenge when they meet the French in the next round.