It is not only their devastating finishing about which France’s World Cup rivals should be concerned.
The spirit and unity of this exceptionally talented Les Bleus team should also worry the remaining sides left in the tournament – and it was on full display during Tuesday’s 3-0 dismantling of Sweden.
After Kylian Mbappe’s superbly crafted opening goal, France’s all-time leading scorer ran straight towards his bench to embrace Didier Deschamps.
The head coach was back in the dugout for the first time since returning from France to attend the funeral of his mother.
It was a heartfelt moment.
Mbappe and Deschamps were then joined by the rest of the team. A group hug followed.
After an emotional few days, the smile was back on Deschamps’ face as his side turned on the style in the baking New Jersey heat to book a last-16 tie with Paraguay in Philadelphia on Saturday, 4 July (22:00 BST).
“This group is united and they delivered when I was not here [last week],” said Deschamps afterwards.
“The team spirit of this group doesn’t make you win matches. But I know if it’s the other way round, you can lose games. The collective strength is above everything.”
Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni added: “We know the coach is going through a lot, we are trying to give everything to make him as happy as possible.”
Bradley Barcola made it 2-0 before Mbappe added his second to move level on six goals with Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
“You cannot stop this kind of ability,” former England striker Ian Wright told ITV Sport.
“France are one of the most clear favourites I have ever seen in a World Cup tournament.”
Wright’s former Arsenal team-mate Patrick Vieira, a World Cup winner with France in 1998, added: “They showed to everyone that they are the team to beat.”
He was not wrong.
As well as Mbappe’s outstanding finishing, Michael Olise chipped in with another couple of assists to take his tally to five for the tournament, as France became the first team to score three or more goals in five straight World Cup matches.
It was a breathless display that left the 80,000 fans lucky to be inside the stadium asking: is anyone capable of stopping France’s Class of 2026?
All-time leading scorers in World Cup knockout stages
| Player | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappe | 9 | 10 |
| Leonidas | 5 | 8 |
| Ronaldo Nazario | 10 | 8 |
| Oldrich Nejedly | 6 | 7 |
| Pele | 6 | 7 |
| Just Fontaine | 3 | 7 |
| Vava | 5 | 7 |
‘I haven’t seen a better team’
Four years on from suffering penalty heartbreak against Argentina in the final in Qatar, Les Bleus look determined to make amends and go all the way this time.
They missed a catalogue of chances against Sweden as they clocked up 25 attempts – their highest total in a single World Cup match since 1998.
Yet France have still scored 13 times in four games in the United States and their individual statistics are on a different level.
Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele has six goal involvements (four goals, two assists), Michael Olise has five assists and hit the post with an outrageous acrobatic attempt.
But in Mbappe they have a player in his prime, at his sharpest, showing why he is one of the best finishers on the planet.
Not only is he level in the race for the Golden Boot – awarded to the leading scorer at the tournament – the Real Madrid forward now has 18 World Cup goals, one behind Messi who has scored more than anyone else in the history of the competition.
France’s captain has scored two or more goals in seven different World Cup matches, three more than any other player.
“What we saw from France was precision and devastation,” former England full-back Gary Neville told ITV Sport.
“That [front] four that started the game [Mbappe, Dembele, Olise and Barcola] – they will cause nightmares for every single defender in the tournament and I don’t know how they stop that to be fair.
“They are a level above. Brazil won in the last minute, Germany and the Netherlands have gone out. France are showing everyone else in this round how to do it.
“The rest are looking at them thinking: ‘That’s the level we have got to get to’.”
Even Sweden boss Graham Potter admitted: “It’s no disgrace to go out to this France team.
“I haven’t seen a better team.”
‘Riddled with superstars’
Olise started his footballing journey at Hayes & Yeading United at the age of six.
Eighteen years on, the former Crystal Palace player is showing the world what an outstanding talent he is on the biggest stage of all.
Born in Hammersmith to a Nigerian father and a French-Algerian mother, Olise is the first player to provide five or more assists at a single World Cup tournament since 1994.
“Michael is playing top-notch football,” added Deschamps.
“He is a major influence within the squad and is the link between the strikers and the defence.
“He is a bit of an introvert, but he is not an introvert on the pitch.”
This French team is setting records each time they play.
Dembele and Mbappe have combined for six goals in the United States – four assists from Dembele to Mbappe, two from Mbappe to Dembele.
That is more than any other duo on record since 1966 in the competition.
“They just have a team in the forward areas that is riddled with superstars,” former Scotland striker Ally McCoist told ITV Sport.
“There is no other explanation for it. They are favourites, favourites don’t always win, but they are favourites for a reason, and we saw that today.”
Players with 5+ assists at a World Cup
| Player | Team | Year | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pele | Brazil | 1970 | 6 |
| Robert Gadocha | Poland | 1974 | 5 |
| Pierre Littbarski | Germany | 1982 | 5 |
| Diego Maradona | Argentina | 1986 | 5 |
| Thomas Hasler | Germany | 1994 | 5 |
| Michael Olise | France | 2026 | 5 |
Should France make it five wins out of five and beat Paraguay, they will face the winners of the match between co-hosts Canada and Morocco in the quarter-finals at Boston Stadium on Thursday, 9 July (21:00 BST).
Deschamps, however, is refusing to look too far ahead.
“Please, slow down,” he said when asked in his post-match news conference if his side could go all the way.
“There is always room for improvement and things shouldn’t be all gold.
“We have reached the round of 16. Let’s appreciate that. We know what is expected of us.
“We did what we had to do despite the first 15 minutes being a bit timid.
“We could have been a bit more efficient in the first half. We have reached the round of 16, but it’s only the round of 16. We have to stay calm.”
Source: www.kumasimail.com
