Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
France are “on a mission” at the World Cup, so says Didier Deschamps.
Les Bleus swatted aside Sweden 3-0 in swashbuckling style on Tuesday to book their place in the last 16.
Kylian Mbappe scored twice, taking his tally of World Cup knockout goals to a record-setting 10, while Bradley Barcola was also on target at New York New Jersey Stadium.
Deschamps secured his 17th World Cup match win, which is the most of any coach in the history of the competition. His nine knockout-stage victories is also a record.
The 57-year-old was back in the France dugout after missing his team’s win over Norway due to the death of his mother.
Deschamps is stepping down from the role he has held for 14 years at the end of the tournament, and with France now holding a 30.1% chance of winning the trophy, according to Opta’s supercomputer, he is determined to go out on a high note.
“A lot of pride. We’re on a mission. Me too, with [the players],” Deschamps told M6.
“Up until our match, there had been some tough round of 32 fixtures. We had a comfortable lead, even if we could have been more clinical in the first half.
“We have to appreciate it, and we know there’s another match in four days. But we’re here for this, the players are here for this. There’s another hurdle to overcome.
“But we still have to appreciate it. We have a good mindset, there’s a lot of pride. We have to maintain this focus, this determination. There’s obviously quality and talent, and we have to do it again.”
Didier Deschamps records the most wins of any Head Coach in #FIFAWorldCup history 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/rQhI93poLB
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 1, 2026
France face Paraguay in the last 16. Les Bleus have an 85.5% chance of reaching the quarter-finals, according to Opta’s predictive model.
Mbappe was sensational against Sweden, and the 27-year-old has now scored 2+ goals in seven different World Cup matches for France, three more than any other player.
He took his tally of World Cup goals to 18, just one behind new record holder Lionel Messi, while Mbappe and the Argentine great are tied on six goals in the Golden Boot race.
“I am aware of what I am playing, where I am and what I have to do,” Mbappe told beIN Sports.
“The team is aware of what it has to do here. It was a new competition that was about to begin. Today we played well, even though we had a difficult start. We got into it, we had chances that we could have put away earlier.”
Mbappe also emphasised how close France’s squad feels, and how they are united behind Deschamps.
He added: “It’s the DNA of this group. We’re all in this together. The coach has gone through a difficult time, one that unfortunately will affect everyone. It’s very difficult. He will never be alone with us. We will support him.”
France had 25 shots, their highest total in a World Cup match since their 1998 last-16 tie against Paraguay (37).
Sweden managed just eight attempts, which accounted for only 0.7 expected goals, and Graham Potter was humble in defeat.
“The better team won, congratulations to France. I thought in terms of the game we had to be perfect and even if we were, I’m not sure that would have been enough if I’m brutally honest, because the opponent was of a high level,” he said.
“I have no complaints about the players whatsoever. I said to them after the game I don’t think it’s a disgrace to lose to France, they’re a better team and they’ve got some high-level players.
“If you look at the careers and the CVs of the French team and you compare them to ours, we’re a young developing team with hopefully a lot of good things ahead of us.”
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