France vs. Sweden: Why Kylian Mbappe is likely to surpass Ronaldo in World Cup knockout tie

France caput into Tuesday’s World Cup Round of 32 tie against Sweden arsenic the overwhelming favourites to beforehand to the past 16.

The 2018 winners stormed done the radical stage, scoring 10 goals crossed 3 victories to apical Group I. 

Unsurprisingly, Mbappe played a starring relation successful France’s radical signifier success, netting braces against Senegal and Iraq earlier providing 2 assists successful Friday’s 4-1 victory implicit Norway.

Mbappe is continuing to propulsion for the World Cup’s outright scoring record, which presently belongs to Argentina fable Lionel Messi.

The 39-year-old has comfortably surpassed Miroslav Klose’s grounds with six goals successful the tournament, taking his tally to 19 goals successful 29 World Cup appearances.

Mbappe is 3 goals down Messi, and it is lone a substance of clip until helium takes the grounds for himself, adjacent if it does not hap successful the 2026 tournament. 

However, determination is simply a World Cup grounds that Mbappe could assertion for himself successful Tuesday’s Round of 32 fixture successful East Rutherford. 

Mbappe targeting outright goalscoring record 

There is arguably nary subordinate successful the existent epoch who has a stronger narration with the World Cup than Mbappe, not adjacent Messi.

As a 19-year-old, Mbappe enjoyed contiguous occurrence successful his archetypal acquisition of World Cup shot successful 2018, scoring 4 goals, including 1 successful the last against Croatia, arsenic France ended a 20-year hold for the eventual prize.

Then, helium went up different level with 8 goals astatine the 2022 tournament, featuring a hat-trick successful 1 of the top World Cup finals of each time, adjacent though France came up abbreviated to Argentina successful the punishment shootout. 

Notably, 8 of his 12 goals successful his archetypal World Cups arrived successful the knockout rounds, leaving him successful esteemed Brazilian institution successful the grounds books.

That is due to the fact that Mbappe presently shares the grounds for the astir goals successful the World Cup knockout stages with Leonidas and Ronaldo Nazario.

Leonidas netted 8 goals successful 5 matches crossed the 1934 and 1938 tournaments, though his grounds comes with the caveat that some the World Cups helium played successful were consecutive knockout competitions.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, scored his 8 goals crossed 10 knockout games, including a match-winning brace successful the 2002 last against Germany.

Mbappe volition undoubtedly instrumentality the outright grounds for himself, and determination is each accidental it happens successful Tuesday’s clash against a Sweden broadside that person been acold from convincing successful the antiaircraft third. 

Sweden's antiaircraft struggles connection encouragement to Mbappe & Co.

Graham Potter’s broadside shipped 7 goals successful the radical stage, with 5 of those coming successful a dense decision to the Netherlands.

In fact, looking further back, Sweden person gone 14 games without keeping a cleanable expanse since signaling a shutout successful the 2-0 triumph implicit Hungary successful June 2025.

In that 14-match period, they person conceded aggregate goals connected 8 occasions, thing that volition beryllium a large origin of interest up of a daunting gathering against a apt attacking quartet of Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Desire Doue and Mbappe. 

That is simply a acold much intimidating onslaught than the 1 Sweden faced successful the 5-1 nonaccomplishment against the Netherlands, which lone reinforces the thought that Mbappe and his colleagues successful onslaught should bask themselves against a susceptible Swedish backline. 

Hien wounded stroke to unit reshuffle 

Sweden’s task has been made tougher pursuing the quality that cardinal centre-back Isak Hien has been ruled retired of the World Cup with a hamstring injury.

The Atalanta defender sustained the contented successful the archetypal fractional of the last radical crippled against Japan, meaning Potter volition person to reshuffle his battalion for the Round of 32 tie. 

The astir apt script is for Victor Lindelof to driblet backmost into 1 of the 3 centre-back roles aft initially being moved into a antiaircraft midfield presumption for the gully against Japan. 

That would unfastened the doorway for Lucas Bergvall to commencement successful midfield, but specified a determination raises concerns astir whether helium possesses the antiaircraft attributes to shield his backline successful a crippled wherever Sweden are apt to walk ample periods without the ball.

Alternatively, Potter could callback Jesper Karlstrom to beryllium successful beforehand of the backline, but that does not alteration the information that helium volition person to alteration astatine slightest 1 of his 3 cardinal defenders, meaning Lindelof, Lagerbielke and Gudmundsson volition person to rapidly get connected the aforesaid wavelength if they are to debar conceding an aboriginal goal.

Ultimately, it is hard to spot however Sweden volition code their antiaircraft weaknesses successful clip to enactment up a beardown capable absorption to thwart France.

Chances should autumn the mode of Didier Deschamps's side, and erstwhile they do, they are apt to autumn the mode of the talismanic Mbappe, who has registered an mean of 3 shots connected people per 90 minutes; lone 2 players person managed much astatine the clip of writing. 

Not lone is helium aiming to surpass Leonidas and Ronaldo, but helium is besides looking to support gait with Messi and institution successful the Golden Boot race.