Kylian Mbappe puts on a showman-like performance against Sweden, tying Lionel Messi in Golden Boot race

Kylian Mbappe scored a brace against Sweden to take his total goals tally to six in the ongoing FIFA World Cup.

Updated on: Jul 1, 2026, 04:44:35 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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Kylian Mbappe put on a showman-like performance in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match against Sweden. The Real Madrid star scored a brace, helping France register a comprehensive 3-0 win to set up a Round of 16 clash with Paraguay later this week. When the 27-year-old scored his second goal of the game in the second half, Mbappe tied Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race. Both the forwards now have six goals to their name in the ongoing edition of the World Cup.

Kylian Mbappe scored a brace against Sweden (AFP)

However, Mbappe is slightly ahead in the Golden Boot race despite being tied with Messi in terms of goals scored. Apart from six strikes, Mbappe has also provided two assists in the ongoing tournament.

The twin strike against Sweden also saw Mbappe becoming the highest goalscorer in the FIFA World Cup knockout games, taking his tally to 10. The opening few minutes of the contest against Sweden saw Mbappe not at his best, as he missed several chances.

Also Read: France vs Sweden Highlights, FIFA World Cup 2026: Kylian Mbappe scores brace, ties Messi as Les Bleus win 3-0

However, Mbappe finally scored in the 45th minute on a brilliant individual effort. He crossed over Viktor Gyökeres before firing his shot past Swedish goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström. That was his ninth goal in the knockout stage of the World Cup, breaking the tie with Brazilian greats Leonidas and Ronaldo.

Mbappe then scored his second goal of the game in the 74th minute, latching onto the pass from Michael Olise, finishing expertly into the far side of the net. His sixth goal of this year's tournament also tied him with Argentina forward Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.

With 18 goals in 18 World Cup fixtures, Mbappe moved one behind Messi on the all-time scoring list. As of now, Messi has 19 goals to his name in the tournament and has appeared in the competition six times.

Speaking of Mbappe, he didn't play the full 90 minutes in the contest against Sweden as he was subbed off by manager Didier Deschamps in the 84th minute. However, the biggest highlight of the game came in the first half when Mbappe scored the opening goal of the contest.

Mbappe immediately ran to his coach after scoring. This was Deschamps' first game back on the sidelines after missing the group stage finale against Norway for his mother's funeral.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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