New Jersey, July 1 (IANS) French captain Kylian Mbappe continued his impressive 2026 FIFA World Cup goal-scoring form as he shattered the all-time knockout goals record while also leapfrogging Argentine great Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race.

Mbappe, who is featuring in his third World Cup, secured a brace, his third of the tournament, in the 3-0 rout of Sweden in the Round of 32 clash to level with Argentine great Lionel Messi on six goals but edged him with two assists.

With the French No. 10 sweeping home to make a half-dozen at World Cup 2026. He will have the chance to add to his haul when France face Paraguay in the Round of 16 at Philadelphia Stadium on July 5.

The Frenchman’s brace, his third of the tournament, moved him to within one goal of Lionel Messi’s all-time mark of 19. He struck twice to take his World Cup tally to 18 goals, now two clear of Miroslav Klose and only one behind Lionel Messi, with further movement between the leading duo almost certain in the coming days.

“I feel a lot of pride. We’re on a mission. Before our game, the Round of 32 had been tough for other teams, very difficult. I’m not saying that ours was easy, but we had some margin, even though we could have been more clinical in the first half.

“Now, there’s another hurdle to overcome; that’s what the players are here for. We mustn’t look too far ahead, the risk being to be brought back down to earth.

“Paraguay are not here by chance. This team has got that South American DNA and some good players. We’ll take the time to analyse them, but before that, we’ve got two days to enjoy the moment.”

–IANS

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