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Sports

World Cup 2026: Mbappé’s brace sends France into round of 16 as Les Bleus demolish Sweden

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France defeated Sweden 3-0 in a dominant round of 32 performance on Tuesday evening, with Kylian Mbappé‘s brace and Michael Olise‘s assist setting the tone for a comprehensive victory. The French superstar struck twice, first from close range after Olise’s through ball, as Les Bleus overwhelmed their opponents with superior skill, movement, and execution.

Mbappe finished a superb move to break the deadlock just before half-time in the last-32 tie watched by 80,663 at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, after France had already hit the woodwork twice, once through Mbappe and once through Olise.

The French were on top throughout against a limited Swedish side, utterly dominating in terms of possession and shots on goal.

Olise set up Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola for the second on 53 minutes, and then delivered a delightful pass for Mbappe to complete a convincing victory.

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Mbappe’s 18th World Cup goal

Mbappe’s strikes saw him move level with Lionel Messi on six goals in the all-star golden boot race at this World Cup.

The France captain now has 18 World Cup goals in total, meaning he is just one behind Messi’s overall record of 19, a mark which 27-year-old Mbappe will keep chasing.

He celebrated his first goal by running across to embrace coach Didier Deschamps, who missed France’s final group game against Norway to travel home for his mother’s funeral.

Deschamps will step down at the end of the competition after 14 highly successful years in charge.

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Going out in the last 32 would have been such an anti-climactic way to depart for Deschamps, who captained the first France team to win the World Cup in 1998 and coached them to glory in 2018.

In 1998, France’s run to victory on home soil included a 1-0 last-16 win over Paraguay, when Laurent Blanc scored a golden goal in extra time.

Les Bleus will face the South Americans in the last 16 again this time, on Saturday in Philadelphia.

Read moreWorld Cup 2026: Morocco beat Netherlands on penalties to reach round of 16

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France will be fully expected to win and march on.

Mbappe and Olise were again central figures, with Ousmane Dembele also showing flashes of his brilliance while Barcola was preferred to Desire Doue as the fourth forward.

Sweden have quality in attack too, with the Premier League trio of Viktor Gyokeres, Alexander Isak and Anthony Elanga. But they couldn’t get enough of the ball to create chances and Graham Potter’s team now go home.

Getting this far should really be seen as a success for them, however, after they only made it to North America through the back door of the play-offs.

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Intense pressure 

Olise released Mbappe through the middle to put the ball in the net in the 20th minute, only for a tight offside call to cut short the celebrations.

However, that sparked an intense spell of French pressure which eventually resulted in the opening goal.

Some of their football was mesmerising, as Mbappe hit the post from a Jules Kounde ball across the face of goal and Adrien Rabiot fired narrowly over.

Olise then struck an upright with a breathtaking overhead bicycle kick before Dembele put the rebound wide.

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The opener came right on half-time, after an Olise effort was tipped behind by Swedish ‘keeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom.

Watch more2026 World Cup: Paraguay stun Germany in round of 32

Dembele and Olise combined at the resulting corner before finding Mbappe, and he did the rest.

Sweden needed the interval to regroup, but they conceded again eight minutes after the restart as the magical Olise threaded a pass through the legs of Gustaf Lagerbielke for Barcola, who lashed in.

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Olise couldn’t score when clean through, but soon after he delivered an exceptional assist for Mbappe to curl in again on 74 minutes.

France look untouchable even if the toughest tests are still to come, although Paraguay will find it hard to live with them.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

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Sami Zayn says Johnny Gargano needs the right spark to return on SmackDown

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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

WWE star Sami Zayn has used Johnny Gargano as a sounding board for his complaints over the last few weeks on “Friday Night SmackDown.”

Gargano, known as “Johnny Wrestling,” has been lying face down during most of his segments for months. He hasn’t spoken to anyone nor has he been in a wrestling ring since Stand & Deliver all the way back in April. The only signal to know that Gargano is actually alive is when Zayn has spoken to him.

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Myles Borne in action against Johnny Gargano during NXT event in St. Louis, Missouri

Myles Borne competes against Johnny Gargano during NXT: Stand and Deliver at The Factory in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 2026. (Bradlee Rutledge/WWE Via Getty Images)

Zayn talked about Gargano and what it would take to get him moving again in an interview with Fox News Digital before he won the Undisputed WWE Championship at Night of Champions.

“I think he’s an immensely talented person. Anyone who’s followed his career, actually watched his work especially in NXT, knows what he’s capable of,” Zayn said. “Some people when they come to the main roster never really got to showcase what they’re made of and I definitely think he falls into that category. …

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Sami Zayn entering the wrestling ring at a WWE live event in Madrid, Spain.

Sami Zayn enters the ring during a WWE live event at Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid, Spain, on June 4, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

“He’s almost in this sort of vegetative state or whatever and he just needs like the Prince Charming or whatever is to come around and swoop him and get him out of it. … I think something just needs the right spark to get him to remember who he is and I do think if, and when, that happens we’re gonna get to see a side of him that’s very exciting, that hasn’t been seen in a very long time.”

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Gargano is one of the best pure wrestlers on the roster.

He put on some of the best matches in NXT history. He’s won the NXT Championship, NXT North American Championship and the NXT Tag Team Championship, which made him the first NXT Triple Crown champion.

On the main roster, he’s been a WWE tag team champion twice.

Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano looking on during SmackDown at KFC YUM! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano look on during SmackDown at KFC YUM! Center in Louisville, Ky., on Feb. 27, 2026. (Mike Marques/WWE via Getty Images)

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But every fan is hoping that he gets another shot at wrestling again and snaps out of this slumber and gets back to what he does best.

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ONE Championship: “I overcame it”

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Brazilian megastar Allycia Hellen Rodrigues survived the toughest test of her championship reign at The Inner Circle 19. In fact, the atomweight Muay Thai queen had to dig into reserves she had never been forced to touch before to keep her gold intact.

The defending ONE women’s atomweight Muay Thai world champion edged Thai warrior ‘The Queen’ Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom via split decision in their five-round world title showdown in Bangkok’s legendary Lumpinee Stadium on June 19.

She got her hand raised after a solid showing in the championship rounds — but it was the middle rounds that truly tested the Brazilian queen’s championship pedigree.

Allycia Hellen Rodrigues had started strong, only for Phetjeeja to flip the script in the third frame with a relentless body assault and a perfectly timed elbow that cut the champion. The road back required everything she had.

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Speaking to ONE Championship after retaining her crown, the Phuket Fight Club athlete reflected on the moment she clawed her way back into the contest.

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“For sure, she’s one of the strongest opponents of my life, but I felt good in the fight. In the beginning, I felt really great, and things were going really well. In Round 3, the fight became harder, but we came back and took the win,” Allycia Hellen Rodrigues said.

The 28-year-old continued, “The fight became harder at some point, but then I overcame it and kept clinching. Phetjeeja started running away, and that’s when the fight started going [my way.]”


Allycia Hellen Rodrigues continues to prove why she truly is the atomweight Muay Thai queen

Phetjeeja threw everything but the kitchen sink throughout their action-packed 15-minute fight in Bangkok, but Allycia Hellen Rodrigues did enough to get her hand raised.

The Brazilian’s defense may have been exposed during certain stretches of the contest, but it also allowed her to tap into her reserves to find a more creative way past Phetjeeja’s world-class defense in the championship rounds.

It was far from a clean win for the Phuket Fight Club athlete, but true world champions do anything – fight beautifully, make it a dirty fight, and tap into their vast IQ – to ensure victory favors them.

That is exactly what Rodrigues did to extend her reign as the ONE women’s atomweight Muay Thai world champion at The Inner Circle 19.

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Phetjeeja will definitely work her way back into a rematch, but Rodrigues should use this fight as a blueprint to ensure she completely overwhelms the Thai if and when they do cross paths on the global stage again.