Kylian Mbappé's Quest for World Cup Glory: Aiming for History

Kylian Mbappé is chasing history, but not the kind that fits neatly into a record book.

On a humid night in the round of 32, he tore through Sweden with the cold precision of a man who knows exactly where his summer is supposed to end: New York, July 19, World Cup final. The numbers are staggering – two more goals in a 3-0 win, 18 World Cup strikes in 18 games, now one behind Lionel Messi’s all-time record of 19 and level with him on six at this tournament – but Mbappé keeps pushing the conversation somewhere else.

“I think the goal, as I said, is to go as far as possible – to make it to (the final on) July 19th and come back here,” he told reporters, the stat sheets already being rewritten in the background.

The hunt for Messi’s mark is the obvious storyline. Mbappé refuses to let it be the only one.

“We’re trying to win; we’re taking it one step at a time,” he said. “Of course, the more goals you score, the higher you climb in the rankings… But I’m also convinced that Leo is going to score more goals, so I don’t focus too much on that. I’m more focused on the opponents we might face and how close we’re getting to our goal: the final.”

Messi and Argentina will be heavily favoured when they meet Cape Verde in the last 32 on Friday. France, who brushed Sweden aside with a kind of effortless menace, now head to Philadelphia to face Paraguay for a place in the quarter-finals, where Canada or Morocco would await.

Paraguay, though, have already shown how quickly reputations can crumble at this World Cup. They dragged four-time champions Germany into a tactical trench on Monday and then kicked them out of the tournament on penalties. It was cagey, stubborn, ugly at times – and utterly effective. There is no indication they will suddenly open up against Mbappé and company.

France know it.

“I think we’ll keep working between now and the Paraguay match to see what we can improve, because there are still some sequences that aren't quite clear enough, there’s room for improvement,” Mbappé said. “Still, I think it’s positive overall, and our ability to score goals means we always have the chance to take the lead in matches.”

This is a knockout phase where reputations are being shredded almost nightly.

Germany are gone. The Netherlands, too. Both fell on penalties, both to teams many expected them to swat aside – Paraguay and Morocco turning the bracket into something far more volatile than the pre-tournament scripts suggested.

Belgium, scarred by their group-stage exit in Qatar and aware that this might be the last deep run for their so-called golden generation, have taken note.

Rudi Garcia’s side have already cleared their first hurdle: top of Group G, a 5-1 demolition of New Zealand sealing their passage and restoring some pride after the mess of 2022. One win, two draws, job done in the group. The coach had set a simple target. Finish first. They did.

“We wanted to finish first in the group stage and we succeeded,” Garcia said in French. “Of course we wanted to win more — we know the story of our World Cup so far. Now it is time for the knockout phase. Senegal is a big team. But, you have to beat them, too, if you want to go far in a World Cup.”

Senegal await in Seattle in the last 32, a dangerous opponent who emerged from a brutal Group I featuring France and Erling Haaland’s Norway. They finished third in that section with three points and a plus-2 goal differential, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story of their threat.

Romelu Lukaku certainly isn’t fooled.

“We know it will be a tough match,” the striker said in French. “Senegal has a lot of top-level players, and the coach is, too. I think it’s 50-50. We really shouldn’t underestimate them.”

Monday’s chaos underlined his point. Germany, gone to Paraguay. The Netherlands, stunned by Morocco. Belgium have been warned by their own dressing room not to stroll into the same trap.

“It doesn’t matter who the favorite is,” said forward Charles De Ketelaere. “We have confidence and need to be sharp. Yesterday showed that it doesn’t matter if you are the favorite.”

Senegal, buoyed by a 5-0 demolition of Iraq, will test a Belgian defence that has conceded just two goals in three games with Thibaut Courtois in goal. Sadio Mané leads the line, still the heartbeat of the side, but there is a problem at the other end of the pitch.

Édouard Mendy, injured in a 3-2 loss to Norway in the group stage, will not play. Coach Pape Thiaw confirmed the Chelsea goalkeeper’s absence and will again turn to Mory Diaw, who kept a clean sheet against Iraq.

“Mory had a great performance,” Thiaw said in French. “He kept a clean sheet and I think (as) the goalkeeper tomorrow, we hope that we’ll also come up with a clean sheet.”

Thiaw has watched the same shocks as everyone else. He sees opportunity.

“It’s not because you finished top of your group that you’re not going to be knocked out in the next round,” he said. “That’s exactly what happened with the Netherlands. It’s another tournament starting. We are looking for the win tomorrow so that we can continue our journey.”

Belgium, at least, have some good news at the back. Center back Zeno Debast, yet to feature this summer because of a left leg injury, has returned to training after an MRI and worked again Tuesday with tape on his knee. Garcia, though, is not about to rush him.

“Zeno Debast is with the group, but tomorrow is still too soon,” the coach said. “He is making progress, though. He still needs time to get fully fit, as was anticipated. I am very satisfied with the defenders we have already called upon.”

Across the Atlantic, another heavyweight walks the same tightrope.

England, chasing the end of a 60-year wait for a major trophy, face the Democratic Republic of Congo in Atlanta for a place in the last 16. They have watched Germany and the Netherlands crash out. They know the pattern. They do not want to become the next headline.

Thomas Tuchel, never one to shirk the reality of pressure, did not try to dodge the label.

“I feel it is a privilege to be in these situations. I think we can just accept it, we are the favorites (against DR Congo),” he said. Then came the warning. “The games so far in round of 32 speak a very clear language. It’s narrow, narrow margins.”

England will lean heavily on Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, their world-class axis through the middle of the pitch. They will have to do it without Reece James, the influential defender ruled out through injury.

Their opponents are a fascinating blend of passports and loyalties. DR Congo have scoured the globe for players with roots in the vast central African nation. Of the 26-man squad, 20 were born outside Congo, many in France. Yoane Wissa, a familiar face to Premier League defenders, leads the line. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was born in London and once wore England colours at under-21 level. Axel Tuanzebe also came through the English youth ranks.

For coach Sébastien Desabre, that mix has already delivered more than many expected.

“Our World Cup is already a success relative to our goals,” the Frenchman said. “The pressure is on the England team.”

If England feel the weight of history, the United States are feeling something different: a nation’s curiosity turning into something like belief.

In a crowded American sports calendar, Wednesday’s knockout tie against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the San Francisco Bay Area is being billed as the biggest match in the country’s football history. Up to 30 million viewers are expected to tune in for a primetime kick-off, a staggering audience for a sport that has long fought for space on the national stage.

“Everyone knows in the back of our minds what this could do for this country,” said midfielder Gio Reyna. “We feel the country rallying around us. We see the momentum it’s bringing to the sport in this country, just through the group stage. But we also understand if we make a nice run in this tournament, what it could really do for the sport.”

A first knockout win in almost 25 years is the immediate target. The implications stretch far beyond that.

While the United States dream of a breakthrough and England brace for a test of nerve, France continue to glide, their football as smooth as it is ruthless.

Against Sweden, Mbappé’s two goals were only part of the story. The Real Madrid forward and his teammates produced a sumptuous attacking display, the kind of performance that makes a mockery of the idea that knockout football must be tense and tight. When Mbappé scored, the celebrations carried an extra layer of emotion as the players ran to embrace Didier Deschamps, their coach still grieving the death of his mother this month.

“I think that reflects the spirit of this group — it’s part of our DNA. We are all together,” Mbappé told beIN Sports. “We know the coach has been through a difficult experience; unfortunately, everyone goes through that at some point and it’s very hard.”

On another pitch, Erling Haaland was writing his own chapter. The Norwegian striker stabbed home the goal that finally pushed Norway into the last 16 for the first time, a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast sealing their progress and adding yet another dangerous name to a knockout field already brimming with them.

Messi still has Cape Verde to navigate. Mbappé still has Paraguay to unpick. Belgium’s golden generation must survive Senegal’s intensity. England, the USA, Norway – all of them feel the same thing now.

One slip, one missed penalty, one moment of hesitation, and the World Cup will move on without them.