Kylian Mbappe finally found the breakthrough as France took a 1-0 lead over Sweden at the halftime in their FIFA World Cup Round of 32 clash.
The France captain had already seen one goal ruled out for offside and another effort come back off the post before making his persistence count in the 45th minute. Ousmane Dembele slipped the ball into Mbappe''s path and the forward fired a powerful shot into the net to give the former world champions a deserved lead.
The goal was Mbappe's fifth of the 2026 World Cup and the 17th of his World Cup career, further strengthening his status among the tournament's all-time leading scorers.
France had threatened throughout the opening half but were repeatedly denied. Mbappe thought he had opened the scoring in the 20th minute, only for the goal to be disallowed after an offside review.
Twelve minutes later, the striker came agonisingly close again. Receiving a pass from Michael Olise, Mbappe beat the goalkeeper with his shot but watched in frustration as the ball crashed against the post.
Olise himself nearly produced one of the goals of the tournament in the 36th minute. The winger attempted a spectacular bicycle kick from the edge of the penalty area, but his effort struck the post. Dembele reacted quickest to the rebound, only to see his follow-up shot flash narrowly wide.
Despite Sweden''s determined resistance, France eventually found the breakthrough just before halftime, giving Didier Deschamps' side a slender advantage as they seek a place in the Round of 16.
