PLAYER RATINGS | France 3-0 Sweden: Kylian Mbappé double sends Les Bleus through to last 16 | OneFootball

Kylian Mbappé scored a goal in each half as France saw off Sweden to qualify for the World Cup last 16 on Tuesday evening in New York. Bradley Barcola also scored as Les Bleus set up a tie against Paraguay, for what will be a repeat of their 1998 campaign.

The match

A few days on from convincing against a second-string Norway team, Les Bleus were faced a sterner test against Scandinavian opposition to kick off their knockout stage campaign. With head coach Didier Deschamps back after travelling to France on compassionate leave last week, the squad returned to New York to face Sweden.

It was in the ‘New York New Jersey Stadium’ that Les Bleus had impressed in their opener a couple of weeks beforehand, with Kylian Mbappé notably scoring a double. The captain was once again leading the line on Tuesday, flanked this time by Bradley Barcola to his left. On that same wing, Lucas Digne started over Théo Hernandez at left-back in the other major change to the starting eleven.

The defence, which notably included William Saliba again, faced their toughest test of the tournament so far in the form of a front three made up of Anthony Elanga, Alexander Isak, and Viktor Gyökeres. The first few sprints from the Newcastle man down the right wing confirmed those fears, even if nothing came of the early pressure Graham Potter’s team exerted.

Les Bleus; attacking quartet appeared to struggle recreating the passing patterns which had seen them slice through opponents so far, as Widdel Zetterstrom was initially only tested by long-range efforts from Digne and Mbappé.

Barcola would break through into the box after a mazy run from the left, but blazed his shot over. Mbappé thought he had opened the scoring seconds later, beating the goalkeeper with a one-on-one finish, only to be instantly denied by an offside call.

The French assaults on the Swedish goal only intensified after the hydration break, with Adrien Rabiot coming close after crashing into the box before Mbappé saw his effort on an open goal come back off the post. It was Olise who hit the post next, this time with a spectacular overhead kick, before Ousmane Dembélé’s follow-up went just wide of the top corner.

Les Bleus finally found a way through on the stroke of half-time. After a corner was played short between Olise and Dembélé, Mbappé shimmied his way around the Swedish defence before finding the far corner for his fifth goal of the tournament so far.

Deschamps’ players were evidently playing with more freedom after the restart. Olise was again the orchestrator, threading a pass through the defender’s legs to play Barcola through on goal. The Paris Saint-Germain winger put away his second goal of the campaign with an emphatic shot.

The chances continued to come for Les Bleus, with Mbappé notaby playing Olise through on goal but the Sweden goalkeeper turned away the midfielder’s shot. The French defence, meanwhile, were not faultless but did manage to rein in the physical presence of Gyökeres and limit the opportunities for his teammates to run in behind.

Mbappé definitively put the game beyond Sweden’s reach with his second of the night, a sweeping finish after being played through on the left by Olise. Bradley Barcola had the chance to register a brace of his own, having beaten two Swedes in the box with a dummy, but saw his shot parried away for a corner which came to nothing.

France’s next knockout fixture will bring back fond memories, given the 1998 squad also faced Paraguay in the last 16 on their way to the trophy. Twenty-eight years ago, they needed extra-time to beat the South American side. At the rate Les Bleus are scoring right now, they’ll hope Saturday’s match is a more straightforward affair.

France player ratings

Mike Maignan, 6

Jules Koundé, 6 – A much-improved display from the right-back, who was much more involved in attacking play down the right and held his ground in defence.

Dayot Upamecano, 7

William Saliba, 6

Lucas Digne, 6

Aurélien Tchouaméni, 5

Adrien Rabiot, 5

Ousmane Dembélé, 6

Michael Olise, 8 – Another complete playmaking performance from the Bayern Munich man, who played Barcola through for the second goal. He added another assist on Mbappé’s second of the game to seal France’s spot in the last 16.

Bradley Barcola, 7

Kylian Mbappé, 8 – He was thwarted several times in the first half, whether by marginal offside calls or the frame of the goal, but eventually found a way through with a trademark finish into the far corner just before the break. Despite continuing his defensive efforts into the second half, the captain managed to add a second goal late on with another sweeping finish. Now the tournament’s joint-top scorer with Lionel Messi.

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin – reporting from the New York New Jersey Stadium