France and Mexico Advance as Norway Upset Ivory Coast in World Cup Day 20
France beat Sweden 3-0, Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-0, and Norway edged Ivory Coast 2-1 on World Cup day 20, with Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland reaching personal scoring milestones.
France secured a 3-0 win over Sweden, with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice to bring him level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race and one goal shy of his former club teammate's World Cup record. Mexico advanced to the round of 16 by beating Ecuador 2-0 at the Azteca Stadium, marking the nation's first knockout-stage victory since 1986. Norway recorded its inaugural World Cup knockout win, overcoming Ivory Coast 2-1 thanks to a late goal from Erling Haaland, who notched his 60th international strike in 53 appearances.
The French attack, featuring Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola and Michael Olise, has been praised for its cohesion, a contrast to the team's less fluid performance at Euro 2024. Former France forward Thierry Henry highlighted Olise’s vision, calling him a “freak” of talent.
Haaland’s goal also moved him closer to several scoring records; at 25 he has 60 goals for Norway, reaching that total faster than Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi did for their nations. His club record of 112 Premier League goals in 132 matches positions him as a contender to surpass Alan Shearer’s all-time tally, though his future league affiliation remains uncertain.
The results set up upcoming round-of-16 matches: France will face Paraguay in Philadelphia, Norway meets Brazil, and Mexico hosts a further knockout game at the Azteca, where local support has been a decisive factor throughout the tournament.