PHILADELPHIA — Kylian Mbappe insisted winning the World Cup remains his overriding objective after moving within one goal of Lionel Messi’s all-time tournament scoring record during France’s 3-0 victory over Sweden in the round of 32 on Tuesday.
The France captain scored twice to raise his World Cup tally to 18 goals in 18 appearances, leaving him one behind Messi’s record of 19. Mbappe also joined the Argentina captain atop the scoring chart at this year’s tournament with six goals.
“I think the goal, as I said, is to go as far as possible — to make it to July 19 and come back here,” Mbappe told reporters, referring to the World Cup final in New York.
“We’re trying to win; we’re taking it one step at a time. Of course, the more goals you score, the higher you climb in the rankings. I’m not telling anyone anything new there.”
The 27-year-old said he was not preoccupied with overtaking Messi, believing the Argentina star is likely to add to his total during the knockout rounds.
“But I’m also convinced that Leo is going to score more goals, so I don’t focus too much on that,” Mbappe said. “I’m more focused on the opponents we might face and how close we’re getting to our goal: the final.”
Messi’s Argentina will face Cape Verde in the round of 32 on Friday, while France meets Paraguay on Saturday in Philadelphia for a place in the quarterfinals.
Paraguay advanced after producing one of the tournament’s biggest upsets, eliminating four-time champion Germany in a penalty shootout following a disciplined defensive display.
Mbappe expects another difficult contest despite France entering as the clear favorite.
“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,” he 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.”
France would face either co-host Canada or Morocco in the quarterfinals should it overcome Paraguay.
