Kylian Mbappe put on a showman-like performance in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match against Sweden. The Real Madrid star scored a brace, helping France register a comprehensive 3-0 win to set up a Round of 16 clash with Paraguay later this week. When the 27-year-old scored his second goal of the game in the second half, Mbappe tied Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race. Both the forwards now have six goals to their name in the ongoing edition of the World Cup.
However, Mbappe is slightly ahead in the Golden Boot race despite being tied with Messi in terms of goals scored. Apart from six strikes, Mbappe has also provided two assists in the ongoing tournament.
The twin strike against Sweden also saw Mbappe becoming the highest goalscorer in the FIFA World Cup knockout games, taking his tally to 10. The opening few minutes of the contest against Sweden saw Mbappe not at his best, as he missed several chances.
However, Mbappe finally scored in the 45th minute on a brilliant individual effort. He crossed over Viktor Gyökeres before firing his shot past Swedish goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström. That was his ninth goal in the knockout stage of the World Cup, breaking the tie with Brazilian greats Leonidas and Ronaldo.
Mbappe then scored his second goal of the game in the 74th minute, latching onto the pass from Michael Olise, finishing expertly into the far side of the net. His sixth goal of this year’s tournament also tied him with Argentina forward Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
With 18 goals in 18 World Cup fixtures, Mbappe moved one behind Messi on the all-time scoring list. As of now, Messi has 19 goals to his name in the tournament and has appeared in the competition six times.
Speaking of Mbappe, he didn’t play the full 90 minutes in the contest against Sweden as he was subbed off by manager Didier Deschamps in the 84th minute. However, the biggest highlight of the game came in the first half when Mbappe scored the opening goal of the contest.
Mbappe immediately ran to his coach after scoring. This was Deschamps’ first game back on the sidelines after missing the group stage finale against Norway for his mother’s funeral.
