Kylian Mbappe scores twice as France tops Sweden to continue World Cup dominance

For the second time in as many weeks, Kylian Mbappé put on an unforgettable show at MetLife Stadium.

And from the looks of it, the French superstar will return to New Jersey for an encore.

France continued its perfect run at the World Cup with another dominant showing in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Sweden in the Round of 32, moving one step closer to the July 19 final at the Meadowlands, following Mbappé’s third multigoal match of the tournament.

The French captain opened the scoring at the close of the first half, then pulled even with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race by scoring his sixth goal of the tournament in the 74th minute, while claiming sole possession of second place all-time in World Cup goals (18). Mbappé, 27, trails Messi by one goal for the record but is more than 11 years younger and has played 11 fewer World Cup matches.

“I don’t watch what Messi does. He has always scored, and he will always score,” said Mbappé, who posed for a postgame picture with another legend (OG Anunoby). “I just think about helping my team.”

France became the first team in World Cup history to win three straight matches by at least three goals and score at least three goals in five straight matches, enlarging its tournament-best goal differential (plus-11) after earning three group stage wins for the first time since winning the 1998 World Cup.

Instead of a heavyweight bout against Germany in the Round of 16, France will next face a Cinderella squad from Paraguay on July 4 in Philadelphia. A now-favorable path for the World Cup favorite — looking to become the third team in tournament history to reach three consecutive finals — would feature a potential quarterfinal match against Morocco or Canada.

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“I personally haven’t seen a better team,” Swedish manager Graham Potter said. “We had to be perfect. And even if we were, I’m not sure it would’ve been enough.”

Mbappé, who scored twice in the tournament-opening win over Senegal at MetLife Stadium, was frustrated throughout the first half. He was called offside while finishing a breakaway in the 20th minute, then hit the post in the 31st minute, prompting him to raise his arms to the sky, searching for answers.

But in the 45th minute, the inevitable arrived.

In a matter of seconds, Mbappé justified the exorbitant price of admission, performing a beautiful stepover before splitting defenders and burying a shot in the side of the net. The face of a nation smiled wide, running and pointing at his jubilant manager Didier Deschamps, who was embraced by one of the world’s best, then by several more of Les Bleus after missing the previous game due to his mother’s death.

“It is the DNA of this group,” Mbappé said. “We are all together … he knows that he will never be alone with us.”

When Mbappé left the stage in the 85th minute, Deschamps turned to his captain and bowed, dumbfounded and delighted, watching a legend grow larger by the game.

“He has been exemplary since Day 1,” Deschamps said. “The collective strength [of this team] is above everything, and Kylian, the captain, is the best shining example.”