Unstoppable Mbappé: 4 Takeaways From France’s Calm And Comfortable Win vs. Sweden

France is currently the best show in international football. Not a debate; not a hot take; a 3-0 verdict at MetLife Stadium delivered with the kind of casual, suffocating excellence that makes you wonder how any team is supposed to stop them. Sweden had Viktor Gyökeres and Alexander Isak, two of the most feared strikers in European club football, and they managed only four shots all game; France had 25. That’s not a contest; that’s an exhibition. Here are my four takeaways from France’s 3-0 win over Sweden: 1. Kylian Mbappé Is One Goal Away From History Stop what you are doing. Watch this man. Kylian Mbappé has now scored 18 goals in 18 World Cup appearances. Lionel Messi holds the all-time record at 19. Only one goal separates the greatest of all time from the next in line, and Mbappé is only 27. Let that settle for a second. He opened the scoring just before halftime, latching onto an Ousmane Dembélé cutback from a corner and slotting past Jacob Zetterström with the kind of composure that makes goalkeepers feel irrelevant. His second goal, the third for France, was even better: a curling finish into the far corner that sent the entire French bench sprinting toward Didier Deschamps. There was something undeniably emotional about that one. He had a goal disallowed for offside. He hit the post. He could have had four. Sweden had no answer, no plan, and ultimately no chance. Mbappé is not just France’s best player; he is the best player in this tournament alongside Messi. 2. The Harlem Globetrotters Are In Town. And This Is Their Court. At some point, you stop analyzing France and just start applauding. Over 60% possession. Twelve shots on target. Nine corners. Goals from open play, set pieces, through balls, cutbacks. France has a different weapon for every situation, and Didier Deschamps is deploying them all with the calm of a man who has done this before. Michael Olise was, at times, from another planet. He carved through Sweden’s shape repeatedly, pulling strings, finding pockets, and laying off with both feet. His bicycle kick attempt may have just kissed the woodwork and stayed out, but if that ball had gone in, we’d be talking about it for decades. Potentially one of the great World Cup goals never scored. Bradley Barcola’s second goal was a textbook France move: Olise slipping it through Víctor Lindelöf’s legs, Barcola doing the rest. Effortless. Lethal. The only thing that kept this from becoming an absolute hammering was Swedish goalkeeper Zetterström, who made nine saves and single-handedly prevented a tennis score. Sweden could have conceded six or seven on another day. 3. Farewell, Sweden. You Came. You Fought. You Ran Into a Buzzsaw. Graham Potter’s side deserves credit for showing up at all. Sweden came into this World Cup having missed the 2022 tournament entirely, back after a painful absence and carrying enormous expectations on the shoulders of Gyökeres and Isak, two strikers with wildly expensive price tags and tons of expectation. In their opening group game, they delivered: a 5-1 demolition of Tunisia that was genuinely thrilling. Sweden looked like a side that could cause problems. Then came the Netherlands. A 5-1 loss that quickly recalibrated expectations. Sweden steadied somewhat, drawing 1-1 with Japan to scrape through as a third-place team. They arrived here knowing the draw had not been kind, facing the tournament’s overwhelming favorites. Sometimes the bracket plays cruel tricks. Against France, Gyökeres and Isak barely touched the ball in meaningful areas. Anthony Elanga worked hard and went largely unrewarded. This Swedish generation — gifted, genuinely exciting to watch — simply ran into the wrong team at the wrong time. No shame in that. They belong at this level. They’ll be back. 4. Yes, He Gets Two Takeaways. He Earned It. Last week, I gave Lionel Messi two takeaways after his masterclass against Austria. Messi wasn’t thrilled when I told him. (He doesn’t read my column. This is fine.) But standards are standards, and Mbappé’s performance today demands a second look from a completely different angle. Because here’s what struck me beyond the numbers: Kylian Mbappé looks genuinely, visibly happy. This matters more than it sounds. The past year at Real Madrid was, by most accounts, a slow-motion rollercoaster. Three managers in one season. A dressing room with more fault lines than a geology textbook. A “Mbappé Out” petition from disgruntled Madridistas. Being booed at the Bernabéu. Reportedly not wanting to play at the Bernabéu again. A season that ended without a single trophy and with his relationship with the club’s fanbase in ruins. None of that Mbappé showed up today. This version was laughing on the pitch, celebrating with teammates, sprinting to hug Deschamps after his second goal in a moment that felt like a release. And the dynamic with Olise is something to behold. The two of them are playing with a freedom and instinctiveness that you rarely see at the international level. They find each other without looking. They trust each other completely. The France national team has become, by all appearances, the place where Kylian Mbappé actually wants to be. And when he is happy, he is absolutely terrifying to play against. Messi’s record is one goal away. Heaven help whoever is next.