France's Tchouameni out of R16 match vs Paraguay due to injury

France midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni will miss the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match against Paraguay due to a thigh injury. Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe scored a brace against Sweden, taking his knockout stage goal tally to a record 10 goals.

Tchouameni to Miss Round of 16 Match

France midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni will miss Saturday's FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash against Paraguay due to a thigh injury, according to a report by French daily L'Equipe, cited by Reuters. The 26-year-old Real Madrid star has so far been a starter in three out of four FIFA World Cup matches so far, but has not delivered any goals or assists so far.

France has a clean FIFA WC 2026 record so far, with three dominant wins in three games in the group stage before besting Sweden in their round of 32 clash. The French Football Federation (FFF) has not issued any comments on the matter so far.

Mbappe's Historic Brace Sinks Sweden

A clinical double from talismanic captain Kylian Mbappe steered France to an emphatic 3-0 victory over Sweden at the New York New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium).

Entering the match tied with Brazilian icon Ronaldo and legendary pre-war forward Leonidas at 8 career knockout stage goals, Mbappe's strikes in the 45th and 74th minutes pushed his total to 10 knockout stage goals, the most by any player in the history of the competition.

Mbappe's knack for delivering when the stakes are highest has defined his international career. His updated goal tallies paint the picture of a player performing at unprecedented efficiency. In the knockout stage, he has now scored 10 goals, bypassing Ronaldo (8) & Leonidas (8) for the record.

Mbappe's sixth goal of the tournament made his case for the Golden Boot even stronger as he is just behind Lionel Messi (seven goals). The brace also took his World Cup tally to 18 goals in just 18 appearances, leaving him two shy of Messi's all-time record of 20 goals, achieved across 29 World Cup matches. (ANI)

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