France advanced with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Sweden in East Rutherford, N.J., a match in which Kylian Mbappé scored twice and Michael Olise supplied two assists, according to ESPN. The hosts dominated a first half in which they scored once, struck the woodwork twice and limited Sweden to a single shot on target.
The attacking quartet of Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, Olise and Mbappé combined in the same game to either score or assist, producing a fluid, high-speed threat that the report called almost unstoppable. Sweden, even when set up with a back five and sometimes a back six or seven, could not contain France’s front line, according to ESPN.
Several clear chances went close to becoming spectacular goals. Olise struck the post with a scissor-kick effort that would have been a contender for goal of the tournament, while Mbappé came away a post short of what would have been another World Cup hat trick. The second half saw France add two more goals to make the result emphatic.
Finding a genuine weakness in France remains difficult. The team’s most troubled half at the tournament came in the first half against Senegal, a period the report attributed to coach Didier Deschamps experimenting with his front four. Once the preferred attacking arrangement was restored, France’s performance improved markedly.
There are, however, areas of relative limitation. Right back Jules Koundé is described as limited going forward compared with players such as Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, and left back Lucas Digne is called competent but unspectacular. Midfield creativity is noted as a potential shortcoming: Aurélien Tchouaméni provides defensive steel and Adrien Rabiot brings range and shooting ability, but neither is credited with significant playmaking production, according to ESPN.
France move on in the tournament with a potent attack and few obvious flaws, the report concluded.
