NEW DELHI: France continued their brilliant run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup by defeating Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32 and creating a piece of tournament history.Didier Deschamps’ team became the first team FIFA World Cup history to score three or more goals in five consecutive games. FIFA confirmed the success in a post on X after the comfortable victory of France. “France became the first team in @FIFAWorldCup history to score three or more goals in five consecutive matches,” FIFA said.
Mbappe shines again
Kylian Mbappé once again he led from the front, scoring twice as France cruised into the Round of 16. Bradley Barcola also found the net as Les Bleus maintained their perfect record in the tournament.With his two goals, Mbappe took his FIFA World Cup tally to 18 goals. He moved into second place on the all-time World Cup points list, moving two ahead of Miroslav Klose and just one behind. Lionel Messi.France dominated much of the first half and finally broke the deadlock when Mbappe dribbled into the penalty area before firing into the corner.Sweden had little chance of making a comeback after the break. Michael Olise set up Barcola for France’s second goal before providing another assist for Mbappe, who scored his second of the match and reached 10 goals in World Cup knockout games.
Deschamps proud of his team’s effort
France coach Didier Deschamps praised his players after another dominant display.“A lot of pride and a lot of emotions. Before this match, we saw in the other Round of 32 matches that no match was easy, ours included, even if we had a bit of a cushion. We could have been more effective in the first half, but we have to appreciate what we got,” said Deschamps.
Another playoff challenge awaits
France has now reached the Round of 16 for the seventh time in its history (1986, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026). Only Brazil have a longer streak of consecutive appearances at this stage, while France’s run highlights their consistency on the biggest stage.France will face Paraguay in Philadelphia on July 5. Looking ahead to the next challenge, Deschamps said: “There is another match in four days, and that is why we are here. We will know what we did today without looking too far ahead, otherwise we will quickly come back to earth. We have to keep the same focus, the same determination for the next stage against Paraguay, a great South American nation and they do not have much chance and talent here. players. We have to take the time to savor this before preparing for this next stage.”
