France superstar Kylian Mbappe continued his remarkable scoring run at the FIFA World Cup, netting twice as Les Bleus cruised to a 3-0 victory over Sweden to secure a place in the Round of 16.
Mbappe’s latest brace at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey took his tally for the tournament to six goals, drawing him level with Lionel Messi at the top of the scoring charts.
The 27-year-old forward has now scored 18 goals in 18 World Cup appearances, moving within one strike of Messi’s all-time tournament record of 19 goals.
Bradley Barcola added France’s other goal as Didier Deschamps’ side underlined their credentials as one of the favourites for the title with another dominant display.
France had struggled to break down Sweden’s resistance during much of the first half before Mbappe finally found the breakthrough on the stroke of halftime, weaving into space before firing home.
Barcola doubled the advantage eight minutes after the restart, while Mbappe wrapped up the win in the 74th minute to seal a comfortable passage into the last 16.
France will now face Paraguay in Philadelphia on Saturday as they continue their pursuit of a third World Cup title.
“I know who I am and what I’ve got to do, but it’s not just me. I think the team is perfectly aware of what we have to do here,” Mbappe said after the match.
Earlier in the day, Erling Haaland delivered once again as Norway secured their first-ever World Cup knockout-stage victory with a dramatic 2-1 triumph over Ivory Coast at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Antonio Nusa gave the Norwegians the lead before Amad Diallo equalised for Ivory Coast.
However, Haaland struck four minutes from time to hand Norway a historic win and send them into the next round.
The Manchester City striker now has five goals in the competition, placing him just one goal behind joint leaders Mbappe and Messi.
Norway’s reward is a heavyweight clash against Brazil on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals.
Co-hosts Mexico also progressed after defeating Ecuador 2-0 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
The encounter was delayed for an hour because of severe weather conditions, including heavy rain and lightning, but Mexico quickly settled into their rhythm once play began.
Julian Quinones opened the scoring after 22 minutes with a superb finish before Raul Jimenez doubled the advantage nine minutes later.
Ecuador struggled to mount a meaningful comeback as Javier Aguirre’s men comfortably booked their place in the last 16.
Mexico remain unbeaten in World Cup matches played at the iconic Azteca Stadium and will return to the venue on Sunday for a meeting with either DR Congo or England.
Coach Javier Aguirre praised the spirit within his squad after the win.
“I can tell you that this team deserves what is happening,” he said.
“Today we stand within the top-16 rank and we have been together for a long time and we still like each other. We are very happy. We are highly focused and we are a true family.”
Away from the action on the pitch, Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman announced his resignation following his side’s penalty shoot-out defeat to Morocco in the last 16.
“We all shared the dream of making history at this World Cup, but we fell short,” Koeman said.
“As head coach, the responsibility ultimately rests with me.”
