France Player Ratings vs. Sweden: History-Maker Mbappe Writes World Cup Folklore

Didier Deschamps’s men have now scored 13 goals in four matches at the 2026 World Cup.

Kylian Mbappé now has six goals to his name this tournament. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

France continued its dominance on the World Cup stage, cruising to a 3–0 victory over Sweden in the round of 32 on Tuesday.

Despite the suffocating heat bearing down at MetLife Stadium, Les Bleus were firing on all cylinders from the opening whistle. Kylian Mbappé had a goal waved off by the offside flag and put one off the post—as did Michael Olise—before the former finally found his side’s inevitable breakthrough on the brink of halftime.

Bradley Barcola found the back of the net just eight minutes after the restart to double France’s lead and seal the team’s place in the round of 16. In case there was any doubt, though, Mbappé bagged his brace in the 74th minute.

Didier Deschamps’s men are now headed to Philadelphia to face off with Paraguay on the Fourth of July—another match-up for the taking for this dazzling France team.

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The One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Dayot Upamecano (left) and William Saliba (right) locked down Sweden’s attack. | Marcel Bonte/Soccrates/Getty Images

So much has already been said about France’s lethal attack, and the star-studded frontline was on fully display again on Tuesday. Mbappé and Barcola got on the scoresheet while Ousmane Dembélé and Olise tallied assists.

What has gone under the radar for Les Bleus in North America this summer, though, is their defense. When the center back pairing of William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano are on the pitch, France only conceded one goal in 270 minutes of soccer.

On Tuesday, the two defenders used their physicality to completely take Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres out of the game. The two strikers combined for two shots on target and just one chance created. Once the final whistle sounded, France had its third clean sheet in four matches.

Such lethal defending combined with an in-form Mike Maignan and the team’s scintillating attack makes the 2018 world champions arguably the most well-rounded team in the tournament, which is looking to be theirs for the taking.

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France Player Ratings vs. Sweden (4-2-3-1)

France’s attack was unstoppable yet again. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Mike Maignan—8.2: Hardly had anything to do until the dying stages, when he came to life to deny Gyökeres. Kept his third clean sheet of the tournament.

RB: Jules Koundé—7.5: Arguably his best attacking performance of the tournament. Opened up space for his teammates with confident runs forward and looked more comfortable with the ball at his feet than usual.

CB: Dayot Upamecano—7.1: Couldn’t take advantage of his towering form on set pieces, but played his part at the other end of the pitch. Dealt with everything that came his way.

CB: William Saliba—7.5: Won the physical battle with his Arsenal teammate Gyökeres despite playing with an injury. Dominant in the air and put together an almost perfect passing display out the back.

LB: Lucas Digne—7.4: Saved from conceding a penalty by the offside flag. Bounced back with a strong second half and even came all the way across the pitch to cover for Koundé during a dangerous counter attack from Sweden.

CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—8.0: Did well to cover for his teammates in transition. Much of his defensive prowess, though, was not needed given Sweden’s lack of possession.

CM: Adrien Rabiot—7.7: Had the freedom to push forward with Tchouaméni anchoring the midfield. Threaded a few balls that completely dismantled Sweden’s backline.

RW: Ousmane Dembélé—8.2: Selfless outing. Pressed with vigor and set up Mbappé’s opener. Created three other chances as well, the most by any player on the pitch. Pulled a glorious chance wide in the first half.

AM: Michael Olise—9.2: Simply elegant as he pulled the strings, sometimes even from the right wing. Nutmegged Gustaf Lagerbielke to pick out Barcola for France’s second and then set up Mbappé’s third with a perfect through-ball. Denied what would have been a wondrous bicycle kick by the woodwork.

LW: Bradley Barcola—8.1: Rifled home his second goal of the tournament to repay his manager’s decision to start him on Tuesday. Used his blistering pace to easily skip past defenders.

ST: Kylian Mbappé—9.4: Denied early goals by the offside flag and the post but he couldn’t be held quiet for long. Scored his 61st and 62nd goals for France in style to set the record for the most knockout goals in World Cup history.

SUB: Désiré Doué (75’ for Dembélé)—6.4: Had a solid look at goal in the 81st minute but it was comfortably gobbled up by goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström.

SUB: Malo Gusto (75’ for Koundé)—6.3: Seamlessly slotted in on the right flank and did not misplace a pass.

SUB: Theo Hernández (78’ for Digne)—6.5: Created a decent chance in his short cameo.

SUB: Rayan Cherki (85’ for Mbappé)—N/A

SUB: Jean-Philippe Mateta (86’ for Olise)—N/A

Subs not used: Brice Samba (GK), Robin Risser (GK), Lucas Digne, Lucas Hernández, William Saliba, N’Golo Kanté, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Maghnes Akliouche, Marcus Thuram.

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What the Ratings Tell Us

Bradley Barcola (left) and Kylian Mbappé scored all three of France’s goals. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

• The world stage is Kylian Mbappé’s stage. The Frenchman is a goal machine, already with six to his name this tournament and 18 all-time at the age of 27. No matter how difficult of a season he had at Real Madrid, he is simply unstoppable when he puts on a France jersey. It’s hard to envision any defender in the world limiting his influence in the final third.
• Bradley Barcola got the nod over Désiré Doué and proved Deschamps right for choosing him over the 21-year-old. The forward knew when to pick his moments and when to let Mbappé and Dembélé occupy his space on the left wing. His goal likely condemned Doué to the bench in the round of 16.
• If France has one weak spot, it’s the left flank. Lucas Digne and Theo Hernández have taken turns at left back and both compiled a list of worrying moments. Against sharper, tougher competition, like Spain winger Lamine Yamal, their inconsistent outings could cost Les Bleus in the later rounds.

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The Numbers That Explain France’s Confident Victory

Didier Deschamps is hoping to lead France to World Cup redemption. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

• It’s remarkable France only scored three goals on Tuesday. The team mustered 25 shots, hit the woodwork twice and created six big chances. The final scoreline could have looked much worse.
• The hosts completed 485 passes compared to Sweden’s 279. Les Bleus controlled nearly every minute of the match, leaving their opponents chasing after the ball.
• Sweden was limited to just 39% possession and lacked the creativity needed to get past this France defense. Zero big chances is not going to get the job done against Upamecano and Saliba.

Statistic	France	Sweden
Posession	61%	39%
xG	3.17	0.67
Total Shots	25	8
Shots on Target	12	3
Big Chances	6	0
Pass Accuracy	88%	79%
Fouls	14	10
Corners	9	1

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