France 3-0 Sweden: Les Bleus ‘a level above’ other World Cup teams with Kylian Mbappe ‘about to rise’ says Gary Neville | Football news
Gary Neville says France are “better” than any other team at the World Cup after their 3-0 win over Sweden in the round of 32.
Les Bleus captain Kylian Mbappe two points in New York New Jersey – with Sky Sports The professor added that the striker is “close to the top” as he is level with Lionel Messi in the race for the tournament’s golden boot.
Mbappe and Michael Olise have been underwhelming, giving Graham Potter’s side little hope of pulling off the shock. France’s win means they are level with Paraguay who beat Germany in the last 16 on Saturday in Philadelphia – but Neville sees few defeats for Didier Deschamps’ side.
He said so ITV Sport: “It’s a true statement. We know they’re favorites in this tournament, but what we’ve seen is precision, destruction.
“I always look at games with a defensive eye – those four [attacking players: Mbappe, Olise, Dembele and Barcola] The starter will create nightmares for every defender in this tournament and I don’t know how to stop that.
“High level. Brazil won at the last minute, Germany and the Netherlands went out. They showed everyone in this round how it’s done.
“Everything they do is emphatic. It’s fun to watch and it’s the best performance so far in the tournament.
“There is still a long way to go, but you look at them now and you think ‘you will let yourself down if you don’t win this’ because they are far ahead of all the other teams in terms of quality.”
Kylian Mbappe is ‘on his way to the top’ says Gary Neville as France beat Sweden
Mbappe scored in either half, set up by Bradley Barcola’s goal. Neville famously praised the France captain at half-time – even before he responded with another beauty.
“Watching Mbappe in that first half, he reminds me of Ronaldo from Brazil. It’s really sad,” he added. “A little shimmy. It hurts.
“Patrick [Vieira] he said the other day this is the Mbappe World Cup and I totally agree. He is just top notch. You are at great risk.”
Mbappe: I know what is at stake
France’s Kylian Mbappe led his side to victory over Sweden in East Rutherford
After the match, Mbappe took a ‘truthful’ view of his contributions. He has now scored 18 World Cup goals – one behind Messi.
He said: “I know exactly what is at stake, where I am and what I have to do. The team knows what they have to do here too… We played well today, even though we had a difficult start.”
Didier Deschamps he also had kind words from his captain Mbappe, who made him captain in March 2023 after the retirement of Hugo Lloris.
The French manager said: “Kylian knows how to defend. He also scores goals – more than anyone. I told you from day one: he is on the job. Even if you don’t hear me say it often… Even in fitness tests, he was finishing first.
“I said a long time ago that he has accepted his role as captain. The image that people have of him on the outside does not always – in fact, rarely – reflect who he really is.”
After scoring his first goal, Mbappe went to celebrate with Deschamps, as did the rest of the French team, in an emotional moment for the players and their manager. The manager returned to the field on Tuesday after taking a break from the World Cup following the passing of his mother.
The Real Madrid forward said at the time: “That’s the DNA of this team. We’re all in this together. The coach went through something, unfortunately, everyone goes through at some point in life. It’s incredibly difficult. He’ll never be alone with us. We’ll support him.”
France matches unique style with substance
France has scored the most goals in the World Cup so far this year
Commentary from Sky Sports’ Laura Hunter:
Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe have combined six goals in this World Cup. But the link between the French star and Michael Olise is eye-catching.
Mbappe created a lot of chances in collaboration and finished a lot of dribbles. Then it was Olise’s turn to deliver more shots and make more touches. Together they were unstoppable.
The front four teams in France were, in fact, at a much higher level than they should have been. No opposition party can match this genius. Sweden was attacked by mobs. The score line, which was strong but not devastating, really flattered them. France has delivered the kind of performance that gets better with age, every replay a reminder of your genius.
It’s hard to remember a tournament with such clear favorites as this early stage. But France is undeniably formidable and has no obvious weaknesses. Who could challenge them?
