Mbappe, Haaland Lead France and Norway into World Cup Last 16

Sports Desk

NEW JERSEY: France and Norway booked their places in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland once again proving decisive for their respective teams.

Mbappe Stars as France Crush Sweden

Kylian Mbappe scored twice as France defeated Sweden 3-0 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to continue their impressive World Cup campaign.

After a tightly contested first half, Mbappe broke the deadlock just before the interval with a brilliant solo effort. Bradley Barcola doubled France's advantage in the 53rd minute before Mbappe struck again in the 74th minute to complete the victory.

The French captain has now scored six goals in the tournament, matching Lionel Messi at the top of the scoring charts. His latest brace also took his World Cup tally to 18 goals in just 18 appearances, leaving him one short of Messi's all-time World Cup record of 19 goals.

The win sends France into a Round of 16 clash against Paraguay in Philadelphia on Saturday.

"We know what we have to do here, and the team is fully focused on achieving our objectives," Mbappe said after the match.

Haaland Fires Norway to Historic Victory

Earlier in the day, Erling Haaland scored a late winner to give Norway a historic 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Antonio Nusa put Norway ahead before Amad Diallo equalised for Ivory Coast. However, Haaland struck in the 86th minute, calmly finishing to secure Norway's first-ever World Cup knockout-stage victory.

Diallo nearly forced extra time in stoppage time, but goalkeeper Orjan Nyland produced an excellent save to preserve Norway's lead. The result sets up a last-16 showdown with Brazil on Sunday.

Haaland's fifth goal of the tournament leaves him just one behind joint top scorers Messi and Mbappe. Norway coach Stale Solbakken praised his star striker after the match.

"To score five goals in the World Cup for a country like Norway is extraordinary. For me, he is the greatest goalscorer in world football today," Solbakken said.

Round of 16 Fixtures

France vs Paraguay – Saturday, Philadelphia

Norway vs Brazil – Sunday

With Mbappe and Haaland in sensational form, both France and Norway head into the knockout stage carrying significant momentum and growing hopes of a deep World Cup run.