Mbappé breaks World Cup knockout scoring record

The French captain found the net in both halves, taking his tally to 10 goals in World Cup knockout matches, the most by any player in the tournament’s elimination rounds.

Mbappé’s double also took his tournament tally to six goals, drawing level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.

Playing in scorching conditions in New Jersey, France dominated from the opening whistle but had to remain patient before finding the breakthrough just before halftime.

Mbappé had an early goal disallowed for offside and later struck the post from Jules Koundé’s low cross. Michael Olise then rattled the woodwork with an acrobatic scissor kick, before Ousmane Dembélé blazed the rebound wide, as France piled on the pressure.

“There’s always room for improvement,” said France coach Didier Deschamps. “Mainly efficiency, especially in the first half. But between the two posts, the two stops of the goalkeeper, we had a bit of a laborious start.

“A little on the tip of the toes, even if the field doesn’t help. But that too, we tend to do a little. Afterwards, when it unfolds and there is the concentration of everyone.

“Yes, of course we have quality to create opportunities, score goals. And not to take it, it’s a very good thing too.”

Sweden goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström kept his side in the contest with a series of outstanding saves, but France eventually found the breakthrough just before halftime. Ousmane Dembélé’s perfectly weighted through ball sent Kylian Mbappé clear, and the captain glided past Viktor Gyökeres with a clever stepover before calmly slotting home.

Sweden nearly hit back moments after the restart, but Elliot Stroud fired over from 12 yards with the goal at his mercy. France capitalised soon after, doubling their lead in the 53rd minute as Bradley Barcola finished off a well-worked move from Michael Olise’s assist.

Widell Zetterström continued to frustrate France by denying both Dembélé and Olise, but there was little he could do in the 74th minute when Olise once again turned provider, setting up Mbappé for his second goal of the night. Sweden’s best chance to pull one back fell to Gyökeres late on, but Mike Maignan produced a comfortable save to preserve France’s clean sheet.

“The better team won, congratulations to France,” said Sweden head coach Graham Potter.

“I thought in terms of the game we had to be perfect and even if we were I’m not sure that would have been enough if I’m brutally honest, because the opponent was of a high level.

“I have no complaints of the players whatsoever. I said to them after the game I don’t think it’s a disgrace to lose to France, they’re a better team and they’ve got some high-level players.”