Playing dominant football for most of the match, the French national football team comfortably defeated Sweden 3-0 and qualified for the “round of 16” of the 2026 World Cup, where Paraguay awaits them (5/7).
The first 25 minutes of the match, which took place in New Jersey, were an identification phase, as the Swedes kept the “roosters” away from Zetterstrom’s goal. But somewhere along the way, Didier Deschamps’ players “turned up the gears” and completely dominated the field.
In the 32nd minute, Mbappe found himself in an advantageous position from the left, but the shot he attempted sent the ball into the Swedish goalkeeper’s post, while five minutes later, one of the most impressive moments in the 2026 World Cup occurred. Oliseh became the recipient of the ball inside the area and with an amazing “vol plane” he was ready to celebrate the most beautiful goal in the tournament, but the ball stopped at Zetterstrom’s left post and was ideally placed for Dembele, who sent it just over the Swedish goal from close range.
The pressure of the “tricolors” continued unabated and in the 45th minute, Mbappe, with one of his characteristic moves, entered the Swedish area from the left and after avoiding any defender in his way, sent the ball to rest in the left corner of Zetterstrom, giving the French national team the lead. And as soon as he scored his 17th goal in the World Cup, the captain of the “roosters” ran to hug Didier Deschamps, under whose instructions he has made this great career at the national team level.
A characteristic of the French dominance on the field is the fact that in the first 45 minutes they took six corner kicks and had 15 final attempts, six of which were on goal, while the Swedes, for their part, managed just three shots and one on goal by Menian.
The French entered the field after the break, with… acquired speed and in the 52nd minute, they proved once again why they are one of the best national teams in the world in the last 10 years. Tshwameni took the ball in the semi-circle of the midfield and with a vertical pass found Oliseh, who just outside the penalty area with another vertical pass found Barcola in a shooting position, who made an ideal pass and gave the “tricolors” a chance for two goals.
Afterwards, the pace of the match “fell” with the French remaining dominant on the field and in the 74th minute reaching a third goal. Oliseh took the ball just outside the area and with another excellent vertical pass, he gave a ready goal to Mbappe, who curled into the opposite corner from Zetterstrom and scored for the 18th time in World Cup history.
In the last (88`) remarkable phase of the match, Gjokeres shot from inside the area, but Menian saved the ball, while in conclusion, the “roosters” made their best appearance in the competition, especially against a strong opponent and sent a message to the fellow contenders for the trophy, that they are determined to regain the “scepters” of world football.
Referee: D. Makeli (Netherlands)
Yellows :
Reds :
Lineups:
FRANCE (Didier Deschamps): Meignan, Dean (78` Theo Hernandez), Upamecano, Koude (75` Gusto), Saliba, Chouameny, Rabiot, Dembele (75` Douet), Mbappe (85` Mateta), Oliseh (85` Serki), Barcola.
SWEDEN (Graham Potter): Zetterstrom, Lagerbielke, Lindelof, Gudmundsson, Svensson (82` Svanberg), Strud (66` Ali), Bergvall (66` Zeneli), Ayari (82` Nygren), Isak, Elanga, Gjokeres.