Mbappe Stars as France Beat Sweden 3-0
Kylian Mbappe netted twice as France defeated Sweden 3-0 in a dominant performance that booked their place in the World Cup last‑16. The victory took Mbappe’s tally to ten goals in World Cup knockout matches, a new record, and levelled him with Lionel Messi on six goals in the Golden Boot race.
Despite the heat in New Jersey, France controlled the game from the start. Mbappe thought he had opened the scoring after 20 minutes but was flagged offside; he later hit the post from a Jules Kounde cross. Michael Olise rattled the upright, while Ousmane Dembele saw his rebound effort go wide.
Sweden goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom made several fine saves, but he was finally beaten just before halftime. Mbappe collected a perfectly weighted pass from Dembele, stepped past Viktor Gyokeres with a clever move, and slotted the ball into the far corner.
After the break, Sweden had a golden chance when Elliot Stroud blazed over from close range. France punished the miss eight minutes into the second half as Bradley Barcola raced onto an Olise pass and drilled the ball home at the near post.
Dembele and Olise both saw efforts denied by Widell Zetterstrom before Mbappe sealed the win in the 74th minute. He curled a precise finish beyond the Swedish goalkeeper after being picked out by Olise.
Gyokeres almost grabbed a late consolation for Sweden but was denied by France goalkeeper Mike Maignan. France will now face Paraguay, who eliminated Germany on penalties, in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Mexico Downs Ecuador 2-0 to Reach Last 16
Mexico secured a comfortable spot in the World Cup last‑16 with a 2-0 victory over Ecuador in a weather‑delayed match at the Azteca Stadium. The co‑hosts raced to an early lead through Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez before holding firm in the second half to claim their first World Cup knockout win since 1986.
Kick‑off was delayed by an hour due to a thunderstorm in Mexico City, but the hosts were unaffected. Backed by a lively crowd, Mexico created four chances inside the opening ten minutes and quickly took control.
Although John Yeboah struck the woodwork for Ecuador, the visitors struggled to cope with Mexico’s intensity. Quinones broke the deadlock with a powerful finish into the roof of the net after cutting in from the left, scoring his third tournament goal.
Quinones then turned provider as Jimenez capitalised on a costly mistake by Ecuador defender Joel Ordonez, firing into the top corner to double Mexico’s lead before halftime.
Ecuador showed improvement after the break but rarely threatened a comeback, with Gonzalo Plata’s effort drifting wide as their best chance. Their evening ended sourly in stoppage time when Piero Hincapie was shown a red card for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent – only the second such dismissal in the tournament after Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron.
Mexico will remain in Mexico City for their last‑16 tie, where they will face either England or DR Congo on Sunday.
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