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Latin Times
Latin Times
Sport
LatinTimes Staff Reporter

France Look Like Champions-in-Waiting, But Cracks in the Back Line Remain

Kylian Mbappé France Michael Olise Bradley Barcola Sweden Lionel Messi World Cup Didier Deschamps Ousmane Dembélé ANGELA WEISS
France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe reacts during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between France and Sweden at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on June 30, 2026. (Credit: Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images)

Kylian Mbappé needed just one half to remind the world he's chasing football history. His brace against Sweden on Tuesday night at MetLife Stadium — rebranded the New York New Jersey Stadium for the tournament — pushed him to 18 career World Cup goals, one shy of Lionel Messi's all-time mark, as France dismantled a limited Swedish side 3-0 to reach the Round of 16.

The numbers tell the story of a mismatch. According to ESPN's match data, France piled up an expected-goals total near 3.2 against Sweden's 0.67, while FOX Sports counted 25 French attempts on goal compared to just four for their opponents, with France also dominating possession and set-piece chances. Sweden goalkeeper Jacob Zetterström kept the scoreline from ballooning further with a string of second-half saves.

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