Kylian Mbappe scored twice to send France through to the round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup, but Michel Olisse was the driving force behind the 3-0 win over Sweden, prompting Thierry Henry to declare that the Bayern Munich playmaker has become Les Bleus’ most important player.

France eases to 3-0 win over Sweden in round of 32Their biggest win in the World Cup knockout stage since defeating Brazil 3–0 in the 1998 final. Mbappé struck either side of Bradley Barkola’s goal, but Olise planned the attack all night, scoring two goals and producing moments of individual brilliance that left pundits in awe.

Henry, who worked with Olisse during his time with the France under-21 team, had special praise for the 24-year-old after the match. Acknowledging Mbappe’s status as France’s talisman and leading goalscorer, the Arsenal legend argued that Olise is now the player who helps Didier Deschamps’ team survive.

“What he does on the ball is unique,” Henry said.

“When you’re that kind of person, technical, you forget about your protective duty. Not that Michael is a freak. The way he sees things is not the same as others, he sees everything so thoroughly, so quickly, sometimes he gets angry if you’re not on his wave.

“(When I trained him) sometimes he does something wrong in training and you have to stop yourself from saying, wow, this guy is on another planet – he’s completely different.

“The MVP will always be Kylian (because of his numbers) but the most important player is Michael Olise.”

Olise’s performance merited Henry’s assessment.

The Bayern Munich attacker was at the center of almost everything France did going forward. He almost created a moment in the 35th minute of the tournament when a looping clearance fell on the edge of the area.

Olise contorted his body to deliver an acrobatic bicycle kick that deflected off goalkeeper Jakob Widel Zetterstrom but hit the post. Ousmane Dembele came close to converting the rebound, but Sweden saved.

“If he had scored a goal there, it would have been the goal of the tournament,” Zlatan Ibrahimovic said on Fox Soccer.

France finally broke Sweden’s resistance before half time. Olise and Dembele combined cleverly from a short corner before finding Mbappé on the left side of the penalty area. The captain cut in on the right foot of Victor Gyöckeres and fired an unstoppable finish past Jakob Widel Zetterström.

Olise’s Masterclass

Olise’s vision was again on full display eight minutes after the restart. Seeing Barkola race behind the Swedish defence, he threaded a perfectly weighted ball between two defenders, allowing Paris Saint-Germain to advance and double France’s lead.

The playmaker completed another memorable evening with his second assist of the match in the 74th minute. Another incisive pass split the Sweden backline and released Mbappe into the left channel, with the France captain clinically completing his brace.

Former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves was equally impressed by France’s attacking duo.

“Mbappé and Olise were absolutely disrespectful,” Hargreaves said during Fox Soccer’s coverage.

The numbers show Olisse’s growing influence. His two assists took his tally in the tournament to five, the most by a French player in a single World Cup since records began in 1966. He is also the first player since 1994 to record five assists in a World Cup.

In doing so, Olisse overtook the previous French record of three assists, jointly held by Antoine Griezmann (2022), Youri Djorkaeff (1998), Dominique Rocheteau (1986) and Jean Tigana (1982). This performance also added to an extraordinary campaign in which he has now recorded 31 assists for club and country.

France’s victory sets up a round of 16 meeting with Paraguay, with Mbappé continuing his march towards the Golden Boot. Yet, once again, it was Olise’s creativity, vision and composure in the final third that shaped the contest.

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