Fans, pundits hail France after Sweden rout

By Daniel Akinte

France’s dominant 3-0 victory over Sweden in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 sparked widespread admiration from fans, pundits and even the Swedish camp, with many declaring Didier Deschamps’ side the team to beat after another masterclass from Kylian Mbappé.

Mbappé scored twice, with Bradley Barcola adding the other goal, as France booked a last-16 clash against Paraguay while the Real Madrid forward broke the record for the most goals scored in World Cup knockout matches. The brace also moved him to within one goal of Lionel Messi’s all-time World Cup scoring record.

Sweden manager Graham Potter admitted his side had little answer to the quality of the French team.

“We had to be perfect, and even if we were, I’m not sure that would have been enough because of the quality of the opponent,” Potter said. “It’s no disgrace to lose to France. They were the better team, they have incredible players.”

Potter also tipped Les Bleus as favourites to win the tournament.

“It’s football, anything’s possible, but I personally haven’t seen a better team at this World Cup. Because of their quality all over the pitch and the options they have off the bench, they have as good a chance as anybody.”

Sweden striker Viktor Gyökeres echoed his manager’s assessment, praising France’s movement and attacking intelligence.

“They rotate with a lot of players, they come in different positions, they’re not static and they know each other well. We defended well for a while, but after a while it’s difficult to keep it like that for 90 minutes,” he said.

Among football writers, Adam Crafton described France as “controlled and devastating all at once,” arguing that while Argentina may pose the biggest threat, neither Spain nor England possesses France’s attacking variety or balance.

Amy Lawrence reserved special praise for Mbappé, writing: “This is Kylian Mbappé’s World Cup; we are just watching it,” comparing his movement to Muhammad Ali’s famous description of floating “like a butterfly” and stinging “like a bee.”

Ed Mackey also struggled to find flaws in the French performance, insisting the scoreline could easily have been more emphatic.

“It finished 3-0, but that could have been six or seven. Playing like that, there isn’t a team at this tournament that can stop France,” he wrote, though he added that France have yet to face one of the competition’s traditional heavyweights.

Supporters shared similar sentiments throughout the match. One subscriber jokingly suggested Paraguay should line up in a “10-0-0 formation” in the next round to have any chance of containing the French attack.

Another fan, Matan, whose pre-match prediction proved accurate, had earlier feared Sweden would be “crushed by the attacking force of Les Bleus.”

Others praised Michael Olise’s creativity after he extended his tournament-leading assist tally, while many applauded Bradley Barcola for another impressive display despite Mbappé once again stealing the spotlight.