Kylian Mbappe danced past Viktor Gyokeres, bent a shot into the bottom corner and, in that moment, extinguished Sweden's World Cup hopes. The 18-year-old witnessed the French superstar's brilliance up close at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey, where France swept to a 3-0 victory in the Round of 32.
Mbappe opened the scoring after a short corner caught Sweden out. "They play a short corner. We knew that. We're not quick enough out there," Gyokeres later admitted, via Aftonbladet. "So he folds in quickly and puts it in the far corner. It was well done."
“Kylian Mbappe scores twice as France beat Sweden 3-0 to reach World Cup last-16”
Bradley Barcola added the second before Mbappe sealed the win with his second of the night — his third two-goal showing in three World Cup starts. The Real Madrid forward now stands as the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup knockout matches, and spent an emotional moment embracing manager Didier Deschamps after his first strike.
For Gyokeres, the defeat brought a frustrating end to a marathon season that saw him win the Premier League with Arsenal and lose the Champions League final. "He's an amazing player, of course," the Swedish striker said of Mbappe. "I don't need to say something to him. I think he knows it and he's done this for a lot of years now."
Gyokeres also highlighted the fluidity of France's attack, with Michael Olise providing two more assists. "They rotate with a lot of players. They come in different positions," he said. "Of course, when they have that quality and have that movement, it's going to be tough."
France now march on to a last-16 meeting with Paraguay, with Mbappe leading the Golden Boot race and his team looking the one to beat.