France 3-0 Sweden Kylian Mbappe scored twice as France cruised to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Sweden on Tuesday, booking their place in the FIFA World Cup last 16 where they will face Paraguay. The France captain delivered another clinical display at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, while Michael Olise dazzled throughout with an outstanding creative performance as Didier Deschamps' side underlined their credentials as genuine title contenders. France dominated from start to finish in front of a crowd of 80,663, controlling possession, creating a stream of chances and rarely allowing Sweden an opportunity to threaten. The breakthrough finally arrived just before half-time following a sweeping team move. Olise unlocked the Swedish defence with a clever pass before Mbappe calmly applied the finish, sending Les Bleus into the interval with a deserved lead. France had already rattled the woodwork twice before opening the scoring, with both Mbappe and Olise denied by the frame of the goal as Sweden struggled to cope with the relentless pressure. The French doubled their advantage eight minutes after the restart when Olise once again turned provider, slipping a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Bradley Barcola, who made no mistake from close range. Olise then capped a magnificent individual display by setting up Mbappe for his second goal of the night, the Real Madrid forward finishing clinically to wrap up an emphatic victory. Mbappe's brace took his tally to six goals at the tournament, drawing him level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. It also lifted his overall World Cup tally to 18 goals, leaving the 27-year-old just one behind Messi's all-time record of 19. The France skipper marked his opening goal with an emotional celebration, running straight to embrace head coach Didier Deschamps. Deschamps returned to the touchline after missing France's final group-stage match against Norway following the death of his mother, and the moment reflected the close bond between coach and captain. The tournament is set to be Deschamps' last in charge after 14 years at the helm, a spell that has established him as one of France's greatest coaches. Having captained Les Bleus to their maiden World Cup triumph in 1998 before leading them to a second title as manager in 2018, the 57-year-old will be hoping to conclude his remarkable tenure with another deep run. Standing in France's way in the last 16 will be Paraguay, who produced one of the biggest shocks of the tournament by eliminating four-time champions Germany on penalties. The meeting also revives memories of the 1998 World Cup, when France edged Paraguay 1-0 in the round of 16 thanks to Laurent Blanc's dramatic golden goal on their way to lifting the trophy on home soil. Les Bleus will be hoping history repeats itself when they take on the South Americans in Philadelphia on Saturday, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.
