France grind past Sweden, Paraguay awaits

The first half France would rather forget

According to Foot Mercato's match ratings, this was not the kind of performance that has neutral fans reaching for superlatives. The first half was laboured — France slow to press, slow to build, slow to do much of anything that suggested a team with genuine title ambitions. Sweden, for their part, made it uncomfortable enough to matter.

The second half told a different story, as it so often does with this France side. When the tempo shifted, Les Bleus found their rhythm — and that, ultimately, is what separates tournament sides from the rest. You don't have to be brilliant in June. You have to be good enough.

Mbappé: the name everyone checks first

Kylian Mbappé was prominently involved, per Foot Mercato's coverage — which, at a World Cup, is either reassuring or a low bar depending on your expectations of him. France's captain and talisman has carried the weight of a nation's ambitions into every tournament for the better part of a decade now. When he's clicking, France look like a different team. When he's not, the cracks show fast.

The ratings suggest he was a factor in getting the job done. Whether that means a goal, an assist, or simply the kind of movement that pulls defences apart — the detail wasn't confirmed beyond Foot Mercato's notes, so read into that what you will.

Paraguay: a different kind of test

The Round of 16 draw has handed France a fixture that looks manageable on paper — and those are precisely the fixtures that catch teams cold at World Cups. Paraguay will arrive organised, physical, and with nothing to lose. France will arrive as heavy favourites, which is its own kind of pressure.

Didier Deschamps — or whoever is leading this France side into 2026 — will know the drill. Clean up the first-half sluggishness, give Mbappé the platform he needs, and don't let a beatable opponent turn into a banana skin. Simple enough. Except it never quite is.

France have been here before, of course. They know how to win ugly. The worry, if there is one, is that ugly only gets you so far — and the teams left in this tournament are getting better by the round.