Mbappe and Haaland Lead France and Norway into FIFA World Cup Round of 16
France cruised to a 3-0 win over Sweden as Kylian Mbappe scored twice, taking his tournament tally to 5 goals and his overall World Cup total to 18. Bradley Barcola added the third goal. Norway defeated Ivory Coast after Erling Haaland struck in the 86th minute, extending his international scoring.
On the second day of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32, the tournament's biggest stars delivered match winning performances as France and Norway secured their places in the Round of 16. After a day filled with surprises that saw Germany and the Netherlands eliminated, the spotlight shifted to Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. France cruised to a comfortable 3 to 0 victory over Sweden after dominating from the opening whistle.
The French side struck the woodwork twice before Kylian Mbappe broke the deadlock just before half time following a clever quick corner involving Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise. After scoring his 5th goal of the tournament, Mbappe celebrated by embracing coach Didier Deschamps, who had recently lost his mother. Bradley Barcola doubled France's lead early in the second half from an Olise assist before Mbappe curled home his 2nd goal of the night. The brace took his overall World Cup tally to 18 goals, leaving him just 1 behind Lionel Messi's tournament record, while his 9 knockout stage goals set a new competition record.
France will next face Paraguay. Norway also progressed after defeating Ivory Coast 2 to 1 in Dallas. Antonio Nusa and Amad Diallo scored before Erling Haaland struck the decisive winner in the 86th minute from Patrick Berg's cutback. It was Haaland's 13th consecutive goal in a competitive international for Norway and helped the team record its first ever World Cup knockout victory. Norway will now face Brazil in the Round of 16.
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