World Cup Daily: France asserts itself as tournament favourite

The game’s brightest stars continue to shine at the FIFA World Cup. 

Erling Haaland scored with four minutes left in regulation to lift Norway to a win over the Ivory Coast in a tightly contested round of 32 game in Dallas on Tuesday. Meanwhile, in New York, Kylian Mbappé took a bite out of the Big Apple by scoring a brace in France’s convincing victory against Sweden. 

With six goals, Mbappé is tied with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer. Haaland is hot on their heels with five. 

The stakes are so high, and the margin of error so thin, that World Cup games can sometimes evolve into stifling tactical battles where goals are at a premium, especially in the knockout stage.  

Yet, the world’s top forwards are finding ways to leave their marks with their goal-scoring prowess, much to the delight of their fans and neutrals around the world. 

THE RESULTS SO FAR 

Round of 32: Ivory Coast 1, Norway 2 | Match report | Match stats 

Round of 32: France 3, Sweden 0 | Match report | Match stats 

STILL TO COME 

Round of 32: Mexico vs. Ecuador at 9:00 p.m. ET 

THE BIG TAKEAWAYS 

France living up to label of pre-tournament favourite  

France continues to roll on at the World Cup, effortlessly booking its spot in the round of 16 after tearing apart Sweden. The French have barely put a foot wrong at this competition with four wins from four games, outscoring their opponents by a combined 13-2. Incredibly, Didier Deschamps’ team hasn’t trailed for a single minute at this World Cup, an indication of just how much they have dominated teams. 

Sweden never stood a chance in this one; right from the get-go, France overwhelmed the Swedes with its bristling attack from all angles. Kylian Mbappé had a brace on the day, and it could’ve been worse for Sweden, as he had a goal waved off for offside and hit the post in the first half. Michael Olise, once again, was the midfield maestro, collecting assists on France’s last two goals with perfectly weighted passes for Mbappé and Bradley Barcola to finish off. 

Next up in the round of 16 is Paraguay, who, despite dispatching Germany, will surely be the fifth team to fall to this brilliant French side, which looks like it's taking a slow, processional march towards lifting the World Cup for the third time in its history.  

The inevitability of Erling Haaland’s winning goal 

For 86 minutes, Erling Haaland was rather quiet, kept in check by an Ivory Coast side that cut off his service. The Norwegian forward has a well-earned reputation for plundering goals with Manchester City, but he struggled to get a foothold in the game or exert any kind of influence as he was pushed to the periphery by the Africans.

But then it happened — as it always happens with Haaland. He made a smart run inside the penalty area and created enough space for himself to tap home from the edge of the six-yard box off a feed from Patrick Berg, who was being closed down by three Ivorian defenders. Even with the Ivorian net gaping wide open, it wasn’t the cleanest of finishes from the Norwegian, his devilish grin in celebrating his 60th international goal an admission that he nearly botched it. That won’t matter to Norway, though, which now turns its attention to a round of 16 matchup vs. Brazil. 

You can only keep Haaland down for so long. Eventually, he scores. It’s inevitable. His fifth goal in three appearances ranks him among the tournament’s top scorers, but more importantly, his latest goal sealed the biggest win in Norway’s history — its first ever in a World Cup knockout match.

GOAL OF THE DAY 

Norway’s Antonio Nusa broke the deadlock in the 39th minute against the Ivory Coast with a highlight-reel effort. The RB Leipzig winger took a pass out on the left from Martin Ødegaard and then pushed into the box, forcing Ivorian winger Nicolas Pépé to backpedal. Nusa took a touch with his right before unleashing a curler into the far top right corner as goalkeeper Yahia Fofana flailed at it in desperation.  

MOMENT OF THE DAY 

France’s Michael Olise came close to scoring what would have been the goal of the World Cup late in the first half vs. Sweden. The Bayern Munich star connected on a majestic overhead kick with his back to goal from just inside the box that smacked the far post. 

STAT OF THE DAY 

France’s Michael Olise is closing in on Pelé’s World Cup record for most assists in a single World Cup: 

THREE STARS OF THE DAY 

1. Kylian Mbappé (France): The Real Madrid star could’ve had a first-half hat trick but settled for a goal just before halftime that set Les Bleus on their way to victory. He added a second goal in the second half. 

2. Michael Olise (France): Effectively played the role of playmaker for the French. Had a hand in setting up France’s opener and earned assists on both of his team’s goals in the second half. 

3. Antonio Nusa (Norway): He struggled to get on the ball before scoring one of the best goals of the tournament before halftime. He also had some dangerous moments when in possession in the second half.