France's unity and brilliance on full display in Sweden win

France's World Cup rivals have more to worry about than just their devastating finishing. The spirit and unity of this exceptionally talented Les Bleus team were on full display during Tuesday's 3-0 dismantling of Sweden, a performance that left observers questioning whether anyone can stop them.

After Kylian Mbappe's superbly crafted opening goal, France's all-time leading scorer ran straight to the bench to embrace head coach Didier Deschamps. Deschamps was back in the dugout for the first time since returning to France to attend his mother's funeral. The rest of the team quickly joined them for a group hug, a heartfelt moment that underscored the bond within the squad.

After an emotional few days, the smile was back on Deschamps' face as his side turned on the style in the baking New Jersey heat to book a last-16 tie with Paraguay in Philadelphia on Saturday, 4 July (22:00 BST).

Team spirit on display

Deschamps acknowledged the team's support. "This group is united and they delivered when I was not here [last week]," he said. "The team spirit of this group doesn't make you win matches. But I know if it's the other way round, you can lose games. The collective strength is above everything."

Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni added: "We know the coach is going through a lot, we are trying to give everything to make him as happy as possible."

Bradley Barcola made it 2-0 before Mbappe added his second to move level on six goals with Argentina's Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.

Unstoppable firepower

"You cannot stop this kind of ability," former England striker Ian Wright told ITV Sport. "France are one of the most clear favourites I have ever seen in a World Cup tournament."

Wright's former Arsenal teammate Patrick Vieira, a World Cup winner with France in 1998, added: "They showed to everyone that they are the team to beat."

As well as Mbappe's outstanding finishing, Michael Olise chipped in with another couple of assists to take his tally to five for the tournament, as France became the first team to score three or more goals in five straight World Cup matches. It was a breathless display that left the 80,000 fans inside the stadium asking: is anyone capable of stopping France's Class of 2026?

Statistics tell the story

Four years on from suffering penalty heartbreak against Argentina in the final in Qatar, Les Bleus look determined to make amends. They missed a catalogue of chances against Sweden, clocking up 25 attempts — their highest total in a single World Cup match since 1998. Yet France have still scored 13 times in four games in the United States.

Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele has six goal involvements (four goals, two assists), while Olise has five assists and hit the post with an outrageous acrobatic attempt. But in Mbappe they have a player in his prime, at his sharpest, showing why he is one of the best finishers on the planet. Not only is he level in the race for the Golden Boot, the Real Madrid forward now has 18 World Cup goals, one behind Messi, who has scored more than anyone else in the history of the competition. France's captain has scored two or more goals in seven different World Cup matches, three more than any other player.

Rivals take notice

"What we saw from France was precision and devastation," former England full-back Gary Neville told ITV Sport. "That [front] four that started the game [Mbappe, Dembele, Olise and Barcola] — they will cause nightmares for every single defender in the tournament and I don't know how they stop that to be fair. They are a level above. Brazil won in the last minute, Germany and the Netherlands have gone out. France are showing everyone else in this round how to do it. The rest are looking at them thinking: 'That's the level we have got to get to'."