Lionel Messi may have enjoyed his landmark World Cup moment, but at the pace Kylian Mbappe is moving, that celebrated record may not stand for long.
If Messi remains the reigning monarch of the global stage, France’s inspirational captain — the devastating centrepiece of their attack — looks every inch the successor. Mbappe surged past Miroslav Klose in the all-time World Cup scoring list and closed in on the Argentine icon with two goals in Tuesday night’s emphatic 3-0 win over Sweden.
Didier Deschamps, returning to the dugout after the heartbreaking death of his mother last week, had reason to smile again as France eased into the last 16. Mbappe marked his superb opening goal by embracing his manager in a touching moment on the touchline.
Bradley Barcola, handed a start on the left of Deschamps’ forward line in place of Desire Doue, rewarded his grieving coach by adding France’s second. Michael Olise was again influential, supplying two more assists to lift his tournament total to five, in a performance of impressive control. And as Sweden’s early energy drained away, Mbappe struck again to move within a single goal of Messi while putting the finishing touch on a comfortable victory for the French powerhouse.
Never before had a team scored at least three goals in five consecutive World Cup matches, but France made history in New Jersey. On current evidence, it is hard to imagine them not returning here for the July 19 final, where Messi and Argentina appear increasingly likely to be waiting in a reprise of their unforgettable Qatar showdown four years earlier.
With Mbappe continuing to hunt down Messi in the scoring charts, the French superstar will surely relish the chance to take the trophy back from him as well.
Kylian Mbappe moved to within one goal of Lionel Messi’s World Cup record as France beat Sweden 3-0
Swedes fade fast
It took France nearly 20 minutes to find their rhythm amid scorching temperatures at MetLife Stadium. Graham Potter said his team needed to have the game of their lives here and they were the ones who started like men possessed, pressing with speed and intensity in the middle of the park. The physicality of Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres also caused club teammate William Saliba and his defensive partner Dayot Upamecano some difficulty.
Yet they soon retreated into their shell as the fearsome French trio of Mbappe, Olise and Ousmane Dembele – without a doubt the most intimidating arsenal at this summer’s tournament – began to find gaps in the final third.
Mbappe was denied an opener by the tightest of offside calls when he raced through unmarked and converted past Jacob Widell Zetterstrom not long before the first-half hydration break. Adrien Rabiot was denied by the boot of the Swedish goalkeeper shortly after.
Then, within four astonishing minutes, both Mbappe and Olise struck the woodwork, the latter almost producing one of the goals of the World Cup so far with a remarkable bicycle kick that was kept out by the post.
Les Bleus were knocking on the door and Potter’s men, who at one moment appeared to have a flat eight-man backline, could do little but sit deep and defend their own box. The inevitable France opener was quickly becoming a matter of when rather than if, and in the 45th minute it was their main man who delivered it.
With Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise, Mbappe is thriving in a devastating France attack
Sweden needed to produce the game of their lives but they faded rapidly after a spirited start
After being released in the box by Dembele, Mbappe found himself one-on-one with a fellow attacker in Gyokeres, though they are miles apart in terms of speed. His feet were far too quick for Sweden’s stocky center-forward, with a bewildering stepover and two delicate touches freeing him up to curl the ball home from the edge of the six-yard box.
And when Barcola latched onto Olise’s pass and added a two-goal cushion shortly after the break, Sweden’s miserable fate was all but sealed long before Mbappe made it 3-0.
An attack like no other
ALSO READ: Unmasking the Church: Hugh Jackman's Faith and Emily Watson's Chilling Accusations
While Messi is pretty much carrying Argentina in their bid for a second straight World Cup, Mbappe is simply the brightest jewel in a glistening French diamond.
Deschamps has an embarrassment of riches going forward, with Olise as delightful to watch here as Les Bleus’ record-seeking talisman.
The silky Bayern Munich star produced two exquisite passes that made the difference; the first for Barcola to double their advantage, the second for Mbappe to put them out of sight.
Plus, it was his neat interplay with Dembele, who also can’t be forgotten, which preceded the latter teeing up his PSG teammate for the opener.
Olise was as delightful to watch as Mbappe in a comfortable victory for France in New Jersey
Deschamps had the luxury of starting Doue and Rayan Cherki on the bench here, two players who would walk into plenty of managers’ lineups in the US, Canada and Mexico this summer.
Messi’s magic may be enough to send Argentina to the final, but will their defense really be able to live with an lethal French attack that seems to be at its deadliest right now.
History not at the forefront of Mbappe’s mind
The Real Madrid Galactico, often lambasted for a so-called attitude problem, became the World Cup’s second greatest goalscorer of all time with his opening strike, yet his first thought was to head straight to Deschamps, who missed last week’s win over Norway due to the tragedy in his personal life.
His captain’s latest breathtaking finish will have helped lift his spirits after a devastating week. And seven minutes into the restart France gave their manager something to smile about once more when Barcola doubled the lead.
Sweden, playing a lot like a team who sneaked into the World Cup via the Nations League backdoor, gave the ball away cheaply near the halfway line and Aurelien Tchouameni picked it up before finding Olise, who played a delightful pass to unleash the Paris St-Germain forward inside the area. He made no mistake from close range to leave Sweden with a mountain to climb.
Didier Deschamps had a smile on his face again after the tragic death of his mother last week
Then, with the result already a foregone conclusion, Mbappe collected another outstanding Olise pass into the box with 15 minutes to play and rifled the ball home to net his 18th World Cup goal in as many matches and seal the victory.
When he and Olise, who was equally mesmerizing, were replaced in the final five minutes MetLife’s French contingent rose to its feet in awe and adulation. The pair were phenomenal and it is tough to see how they, along with Dembele and the interchanging Barcola and Doue, fail to propel France to the final with Paraguay and likely Morocco to come next.
Even Spain and Portugal, their potential semifinal opponents, will be quaking in their boots.
Following a heartbreaking week on a personal level, France’s free-flowing frontmen are providing the perfect tonic for Deschamps.
An inevitable final?
Messi etched his name into the history books even further last week by becoming the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer. While that record surely won’t last beyond the next in 2030, or potentially even this year’s tournament, the current edition looks perfectly poised to conclude with a battle between the king and his heir later this month.
Just like they were in Qatar, France and Argentina are comfortably the strongest two nations this time around and will take some stopping.
In the illustrious history of the World Cup there has never been an immediate rematch. How fitting if the competition’s two leading scorers collide in the first.
