World Cup 2026: Rayan Cherki again last as France cruise to 3-0 vs Sweden
Rayan Cherki was brought on late in the match as Kylian Mbappé (2) led France to a 3-0 win over Sweden in the Round of 32 of the World Cup 2026; Paraguay next face Philadelphia on July 4.
Rayan Cherki's role ended again late in the match, but France's early interest was enough to beat Sweden, 3-0, in the Round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup despite the scorching heat on the East Coast.
From the first whistle, Les Bleus marched. Kylian Mbappé's early save was first ruled out for offside and he hit the post from Jules Koundé's low cross. Michael Olise's clipped kick rang off the post while Jacob Widell Zetterström repeatedly saved Sweden with a series of fine shots.
The defense was finally breached just before half-time when Ousmane Dembélé fed Mbappé a piercing pass, which broke free and slotted into the far corner for France to go 1-0 up.
Sweden could have responded immediately but Elliot Stroud missed from 12 yards—the Nordics' last big chance before the match was all but over.
<figure style="margin:2rem 0;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #e2e2e2;background:#f9f9f9"><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/en/city_xtra_articles_863/c51a0d456d12e0e385a2588cab7b6a42" alt="Image" style="width:100%;height:auto;object-fit:contain" loading="lazy" /></figure>Entering the second half, the French offensive continued. Eight minutes after the restart, Bradley Barcola extended the lead with a powerful shot at the near post after Olise's clever pass.
Zetterström's heroics continued in the one-on-ones against Dembélé and Olise, but he was unable to stop France's third in the 74'. Mbappé got in behind the defense again from another accurate assist by Olise and curled home his second of the night to make it 3-0.
Mbappé's goals have reached six in the tournament—the same as Lionel Messi's career-high Golden Boot tally—and he is now the all-time leading scorer in the history of the World Cup knockout stages with 10 goals.
Cherki was brought on again in the final stages to finish the job for Les Bleus, who looked to be in control of the match from start to finish. France next face tournament surprise Paraguay—who knocked out Germany on penalties—in Philadelphia on Saturday, July 4.
