France Cruise Past Sweden as Mbappe Draws Level with Messi

France's all-time leading scorer Kylian Mbappe once again made the difference, scoring twice as Les Bleus comfortably beat Sweden 3-0 in their latest World Cup match.

The opening minutes saw the referee stay busy, with both teams giving away several unnecessary fouls. Sweden's Alexander Isak had the first shot on target in the third minute, but there were few clear chances early in the game.

Sweden's direct approach kept Viktor Gyökeres involved in attack, while France's Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé were well contained by the Swedish defence.

Bradley Barcola then made an impressive run from near the halfway line but fired over the bar. Soon after, Mbappé thought he had scored after getting behind the Swedish defence, only for the offside flag to rule out the goal.

Sweden continued to defend deep, making it difficult for France to play their usual attacking football. Even so, France looked the more dangerous side. Mbappe and Michael Olise both hit the post, with Olise coming close through a spectacular overhead kick. Just before halftime, France finally broke through as Mbappe finished off a well-worked short-corner routine to score his fifth goal of the tournament.

France started the second half brightly and doubled their lead soon after the restart. Michael Olise produced a brilliant pass that went through a defender's legs and found Bradley Barcola, who fired past Jacob Widell Zetterström to make it 2-0.

With a two-goal cushion, France controlled possession and made Sweden chase the ball for long spells. In the 74th minute, the match was put beyond doubt. Olise played another excellent pass to Mbappe, who curled his shot into the far corner. The goal brought him level with Lionel Messi as the tournament's top scorer, while Olise became the leading assist provider.

The strike also helped France make World Cup history, becoming the first team to score at least three goals in five straight World Cup matches. The victory also made France the highest-scoring team in the tournament, and they will head into their Round of 16 clash against Paraguay full of confidence.