6 min readJul 1, 2026 07:35 PM IST
First published on: Jul 1, 2026 at 07:35 PM IST
The frightening part of France’s ceaseless waves of attack is the nonchalance with which they come. Metrics of dominance and momentum shifts do not apply to a team which has yet to get out of second gear at the World Cup. Le Bleus average three goals a game with a front four of Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola while being 44th out of 48 teams when it comes to distance run per game. Their conquests have come with minimum effort.
Against Sweden, the quartet gobbled up a knockout game at a World Cup as more of a test drive than a high-stakes match which could have dire consequences.
18th minute: Barcola unleashes the first real French shot, one that flies over the bar. But the run that started on the left wing, sneaking its way to the centre, followed by a deft drop of a shoulder to flummox two Swedish guards, and the left-footer that was the precursor to what was about to happen for the rest of the match. Barcola is the incisive knife that cuts teams in half.
France’s Kylian Mbappe (10) scores a goal against Sweden during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
19th minute: France had the ball in the net before the goal was ruled out as offside by the margin of half a body. In a crowded midfield, Olise pounces on a misplaced pass and within microseconds, finds Mbappe. The French captain’s first few steps accelerated him away from the Swedish backline. He has more than enough time to pull the revs back a bit, compose himself and give France what seemed like their opener. But VAR wipes the slate clean.
31st minute: France rattle the post. Jules Kounde plays right-back for the French but has the freedom to move in centrally. Dembele slips a pass to Kounde, who is nestled well inside the Swedish box. He drives the ball through the middle of the penalty area to find Mbappe, whose low side-footed shot rattles the post.
34th minute: The post would come into play again minutes later. Olise lets us into his mind. Rabiot looks for Barcola in the box, but the Swedes have a chance to clear their lines. But the ball loops up in the air and Olise finds himself underneath it at the edge of the box with his back to goal. Most players would bring the ball down and then shoot, or pass. Olise instead goes for the ridiculous. An almost sideways bicycle kick, one which connects with the shin but is directd goalwards. But Sweden’s post performs a rescue act again and denies what would have undeniably been hung in the World Cup gallery of great goals.
Finally…
44th minute: On the verge of half-time, what seemed inevitable happened. It was never a question of if, but rather of when, and Mbappe is the protagonist.
When supplied a pass by Dembele into the box with traffic in front of him, Mbappe slid the ball to his right and dropped Viktor Gyokeres first. Then Yasin Ayari puts a foot in and there is still Gustaf Lagerbielke and Zetterstrom to beat, but the French captain curls the ball from a tight space into the far corner and Sweden, who had been wobbling for all of the first half, take a body blow.
52nd minute: Barcola gets on the scoresheet, but it’s Olise the provider who delights. None of his five World Cup assists have been banal. He receives the ball while running towards goal, moves it to his left and mid-stride, slides the ball between the legs of Lagerbielke,into Barcola’s path. The finish is elementary, the genius behind the pass is exquisite.
73rd minute: France’s third is the result of Olise’s best assist of the game. Barcola, on the left, finds his quarterback, who lets the ball pass by him to the right and shifts a terrorised Swedish block in the direction of the ball. He then halts it all – the box and the players in front – goes to the left, cuts in and threads yet another needle. The impact of Olise can be gauged by how the Swedish block reacts to every move of his.They instantly go into damage control but the London-born player still has his way. Mbappe, always in the search of goals, has now found himself a provider of the ilk of Paul Pogba and converted his sixth goal of the tournament to go level with Lionel Messi.
81st minute: Barcola tries to get his second of the game. He cuts in from the right and just as two Swedish defenders fear a shot is about to be unleashed, the PSG winger swipes their ankles from underneath them and takes the ball to his left. A poor subsequent touch prevented what could have been France’s fourth but that relentless drive to breach a Sweden backline that had given up eons ago is the warning shot that every top team left at this World Cup will be looking at with concern.
France's Kylian Mbappe (10) celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's third goal during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between France and Sweden in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) 
France’s Kylian Mbappe (10) scores a goal against Sweden during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
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