Gyokeres salutes 'incredible' Mbappe after France end Sweden's World Cup run

Kylian Mbappe scored twice to send France past Sweden in the World Cup Round of 32 at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey, ending Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres’ hopes of a deep run in the tournament.

Mbappe opened the scoring with a moment of individual brilliance, cutting inside after a through ball down the inside-left channel and bending a shot into the bottom corner — a move that took him past Gyokeres himself. Bradley Barcola added a second before Mbappe completed the scoring in a one-sided contest. Michael Olise contributed two assists as France underlined their status as one of the tournament’s leading contenders, with Mbappe now registering two goals in each of his three starts.

Speaking after the final whistle, Gyokeres was generous in his assessment of the French captain. “He’s an amazing player, of course,” the Sweden striker said. “I don’t need to say something to him. I think he knows it and he’s done this for a lot of years now. He shows it here again, and he’s an incredible player, of course.”

Gyokeres also acknowledged the collective threat France posed, pointing to their movement and chemistry as key factors. “They rotate with a lot of players. They come in different positions. They’re not static, know each other well in how they move and the connection between each other,” he said. “Of course, when they have that quality and have that movement, it’s going to be tough. I think we defended well for a while, and then, of course, after a while it’s difficult to keep it like that for 90 minutes.”

Breaking down the opening goal in Swedish — as reported by Aftonbladet — Gyokeres explained: “They play a short corner. We knew that. We’re not quick enough out there. So he folds in quickly and puts it in the far corner. It was well done.”

The defeat brings a bittersweet end to a remarkable season for Gyokeres, who helped Arsenal to Premier League glory before suffering defeat in the Champions League final. Mbappe, meanwhile, shared an emotional embrace with France manager Didier Deschamps after his first goal and will carry his side’s title ambitions into the next round.