France continued its impressive run at the FIFA World Cup with a commanding 3-0 victory over Sweden on Tuesday, becoming the first team to score at least three goals in five consecutive World Cup matches and reinforcing its status as one of the tournament favourites.
The win secured Les Bleus a place in the round of 16, where they will face Paraguay this weekend as they pursue a third consecutive appearance in the World Cup final.
France has won all four of its matches so far, scoring 13 goals while conceding only two, with its dynamic attacking quartet of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola drawing widespread praise.
Norway coach Ståle Solbakken described France's front four as the strongest attacking unit in the competition, while Sweden coach Graham Potter also hailed the French side as the best team he has faced during the tournament.
Mbappé continued his prolific form by scoring twice against Sweden, taking his tournament tally to six goals—level with Argentina captain Lionel Messi at the top of the scoring chart. Dembélé has scored four goals, while Olise leads the tournament with five assists. Barcola has contributed one goal and two assists.
Mbappé has now scored 18 goals in 18 World Cup appearances, leaving him one short of Messi's career World Cup record of 19 goals.
Despite France's dominant performances, midfielder N'Golo Kanté urged his teammates to remain grounded, saying the squad's quality alone would not guarantee success against stronger opponents in the knockout rounds.
Head coach Didier Deschamps echoed that view, saying there was still room for improvement despite the team's unbeaten start. He noted that France must continue refining its performances as the level of competition increases.
France has adopted an attack-minded 4-2-3-1 formation, allowing its forwards the freedom to interchange positions, making them difficult for opponents to defend against.
Deschamps, who captained France to its 1998 World Cup triumph and has managed the national team since 2012, has already recorded his 18th World Cup victory as coach. He announced earlier this year that he will step down after the tournament.
Mbappé credited Deschamps with transforming France into a more attacking side than in previous World Cups, pointing to the emergence of a new generation of talented players.
France, now ranked No. 1 in the FIFA rankings ahead of Argentina, has defeated Senegal, Iraq, Norway and Sweden en route to the knockout stage.
If France overcomes Paraguay, it could face Morocco or Canada in the quarter-finals, with Spain a possible semi-final opponent.
The French side is aiming to become only the third nation after Germany and Brazil to reach three consecutive World Cup finals.
Midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni said the players remain motivated by the disappointment of losing the 2022 final to Argentina on penalties and are determined to make the French people proud by challenging for another world title.