Pakistan, July 2 -- France secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Sweden on Wednesday to reach the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Kylian Mbappe scored twice to lead the defending champions into the knockout stage. The victory also saw the French forward achieve another World Cup scoring milestone.

Mbappe opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time after combining with Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise from a well-worked corner. He dribbled past Viktor Gyokeres before finishing calmly beyond goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom. The goal was Mbappe's ninth in World Cup knockout matches, moving him ahead of Leonidas and Ronaldo, who each scored eight.

France doubled their lead in the 53rd minute through Bradley Barcola after ano...