NEW YORK, July 1– France striker Kylian Mbappe broke the record for most goals in World Cup knockout matches and moved within a single goal of Lionel Messi’s overall tournament mark, as Les Bleus breezed past Sweden 3-0 in the round of 32 on Tuesday.
Mbappe scored twice against Sweden to take his tally to six in this World Cup. He opened the scoring late in the first half and completed his brace in the 74th minute, winning the Player of the Match award. The 27-year-old now has 18 World Cup goals overall, sitting second in the tournament’s scoring list. The Real Madrid forward said France had united behind coach Didier Deschamps after his mother’s death.
“I think that reflects the spirit of this group — it’s part of our DNA. We are all together,” Mbappe said. “We know the coach has been through a difficult experience; unfortunately, everyone goes through that at some point and it’s very hard.” “There are things that are more important than football, but he needs to know — and he already does — that through this gesture from the entire team, he can see he will never be alone with us, and whatever happens, we’ll be there to support him.”
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