If day 19 of the World Cup was all about nerve-shredding late drama and penalty shootouts, then day 20 brought emphatic victories from France and Mexico.France underlined their credentials with a superb 3-0 victory over Sweden thanks to two goals from Kylian Mbappe, who moved level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot and just one goal behind his former Paris Saint-Germain team-mate’s all-time World Cup goalscoring record.Mexico joined them in the round of 16 with an impressive 2-0 win over Ecuador in front of a passionate home crowd at the Azteca Stadium. It is the first time since 1986 that they have won a World Cup knockout game — and, with Canada also through, the United States can make it a clean sweep for the host nations when they face Bosnia and Herzegovina this evening.Also breaking new ground, with a first victory in the World Cup knockout stage, are Norway, who beat Ivory Coast 2-1 with a late winner from Erling Haaland. Norway will face Brazil in the round of 16 and, unlikely as it might sound, they have never lost to the five-time World Cup winners (two wins, two draws).Matchday 20 resultsIvory Coast 1-2 Norway
France 3-0 Sweden
Mexico 2-0 EcuadorHow unusual is France’s remarkable attack?The criticism of France at the European Championship two years ago was that, despite a glut of talented attackers, they were dreary to watch.Their results, culminating in a semi-final defeat against Spain, were 1-0, 0-0, 1-1, 1-0, 0-0 (won on penalties), 1-2. Of the four goals they scored in Germany, two were own goals and one was a penalty. So much individual quality, but so little cohesion.At this World Cup, they have been a joy to watch. Mbappe has made the headlines by scoring six goals, including two against Sweden yesterday, but the entire forward line is thriving. Ousmane Dembele has scored four goals, including a hat-trick against Norway, Bradley Barcola got his second goal of the tournament yesterday, and Michael Olise, though he is yet to score, has excelled in a creative sense.It is rare for a team to boast an attack of such quality at a World Cup. England coach Thomas Tuchel spoke last week about how much harder it is to establish that kind of fluency and cohesion in international football than in the club game. But in contrast to Euro 2024, France have been scintillating up front. The Olise-Mbappe connection has begun to look irresistible.Former France forward Thierry Henry, speaking on Fox after yesterday’s victory, called Olise a “freak”, so exceptional is his vision and his ability to spot a pass. “The MVP will always be Kylian,” Henry said. “But the most important player is Michael Olise.”Plenty would stick with Mbappe, but others might say Dembele or perhaps even Desire Doue or Barcola. The point is that this is a forward line in which those wonderfully gifted individuals are combining so well as a collective. Olise, who was among those players Didier Deschamps called up after the Euro 2024 disappointment, has been a revelation.As they look ahead to facing Paraguay in Philadelphia on Saturday, they are going to take some stopping.Will Haaland break every goals record?It took Messi until his fifth World Cup to score in a knockout game. Cristiano Ronaldo, in his sixth, has yet to do the same.Erling Haaland needed 86 minutes.The goal that secured Norway’s 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast was far from the most difficult of Haaland’s career — and far from the most convincing finish — but it was yet another illustration of the instincts that make him the deadliest penalty-box predator in world football.It was, at age 25, his 60th international goal in his 53rd appearance for Norway. To put that in context, Ronaldo, who holds the record for the most goals in men’s international football (145), scored his 60th in his 129th appearance for Portugal at the age of 31. Messi’s 60th goal for Argentina came in his 122nd appearance at the age of 30. Even Kylian Mbappe’s 60th goal came only last week, against Iraq, in his 100th appearance for France at the age of 27.
