France put the World Cup on notice after their convincing 3-0 round of 32 win over Sweden on Tuesday, and FOX Sports Zlatan Ibrahimovi noted what makes the squad that talented most notably the team's attacking trio of Ousmane Dembl, Michael Olise and Kylian Mbapp. "Take the five best players in the world. Three of them are on Frances attack Dembl, Olise and Mbapp," Ibrahimovi said after France's win, before adding Spain's Lamine Yamal and Norway's Erling Haaland to the list. "[Lionel] Messi is in his own class. But three of the top five are in this attack. Its not easy to make that combination." Mbapp became the World Cups all-time leading goalscorer in a knockout stage, notching 10 goals after his pair of goals against Sweden. On top of that? Mbapp's 18 career World Cup goals is only behind Messi's 19 for the tournaments all-time goalscorer. Olise's 41 goals in 46 appearances for Bayern Munich instantly translated onto the France national team, whose talent in the attack has complimented Mbapp and Dembl well. Through France's four World Cup games, Olise has already recorded a tournament-high five assists. Ousmane Dembls 2025 Ballon dOr and Champions League title with PSG gave him the keys as one of the more powerful forwards in the game.Now with Les Bleus, his four goals, which included a hat trick against Norway on June Friday, this tournament continues to make him a dangerous player on the field. What Ibrahimovi also noted was how difficult it is to find a trio like this one that can create and produce, and drew comparison to a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain trio in Ligue 1. "We had an example on PSG, when they had Mbapp, Messi and Neymar. It was not working 100%, but they dont have this ego" Ibrahimovi continued. "And they also do the job off the ball, which is more important than on the ball. We know what they can do on the ball. They can decide the game by themselves, all of them." Messi, Neymar and Mbapp played together from 202123 for PSG. Based on the combined talent for two seasons, not winning one Champions League title remained shocking, and was ultimately headlined by egos clashing. Between Dembl, Mbapp and Olise, their chemistry on the field has delivered in the World Cup. Les Bleus advances to the round of 16 and will face Paraguay on July 4 at Philadelphia Stadium.

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"We have the chance to do the impossible."After Mexico brushed aside Ecuador to reach the last 16 of the World Cup, some of their celebrating fans already had an eye on their potential next opponents.England face a difficult test in their last-32 tie with DR Congo later on Wednesday but, should they overcome that, it will not get any easier.That is because next up would be a match with Mexico at the iconic Azteca Stadium - a mouthwatering fixture for many football fans, but a daunting one for England supporters.Mexico have never got beyond the quarter-finals of the World Cup, but their impressive displays at this tournament - four games, four wins, eight goals scored and no goals conceded - have their fans dreaming of what could be."England have the Ballon d'Or favourite Harry Kane leading that team," one fan said."You have players like Jude Bellingham, and it is scary, but with the momentum we have there is the chance to do the impossible."Based on their performances at this World Cup and their record at the Azteca, Mexico going far should not feel like an impossible target.Their competitive record at this stadium is 70 wins from 89 games, with 17 draws and only two defeats. They are also unbeaten in 10 World Cup games there.Admittedly, the opposition they have faced at he Azteca is not always of the highest quality but, nevertheless, it will be a daunting task for whoever faces them in the last 16."The whole nation is behind them - we've seen the scenes," former Australia and Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou said on ITV."If it will be England going down to Mexico, it's going to be like stepping into a different World Cup for them."'A great year to be Mexican'In many ways, the scene was set in the build-up to the game as lightning streaked across the sky on a rainy evening in Mexico, with the weather delaying kick-off by an hour.That seemed to suit Mexico, who came roaring out of the blocks immediately after the game got under way.Julian Quinones opened the scoring with a stunning strike before Raul Jimenez added a second, and the damage was ultimately done before the break.The full-time whistle prompted wild scenes of celebration - not just in Mexico but also cities like Los Angeles, which has a huge Mexican population and where fireworks greeted the final whistle.Thousands of Mexico fans had gathered at a watch party in the heart of downtown LA, and many spoke of their excitement and belief in this team."This is by far the best performance we have seen from the Mexican team in a long time. It is a great year to be Mexican and a great year to see the World Cup," one fan told BBC World Service."For them to even top the group was nowhere near the vicinity of thinking. This is happening right now."Another supporter said: "You've seen the energy of the players evolve through the tournament."There are players now who were getting called out for making mistakes but are now playing amazing. It is great just to see this team and players like they are so connected."Mexico fans celebrated their goals against Ecuador all around Mexico and at watch parties around the world [AFP via Getty Images]'A daunting task' in last 16It is not just the arena that England or DR Congo would need to be wary of, but also Mexico's players.They will already be familiar with Wolves striker Jimenez, but Quinones has also been a star at this tournament.The 29-year-old striker, who plays for Al-Qadsiah in Saudia Arabia, scored the opener against Ecuador with a blistering strike that gave the goalkeeper no chance to take his tally at this World Cup to three goals in four games.Mexico also have one of the most exciting teenagers at this tournament in Gilberto Mora, who, at 17 years and 259 days, became the second-youngest player to start a World Cup knockout match, behind only Pele in 1958 (17 yrs, 239 days).Meanwhile, no-one has managed to break down a defence that has faced only six shots on target in four games."Disciplined, skilled, tenacious - there are so many things we can say about Mexico," former Nigeria striker Efan Ekoku said on BBC Radio 5 Live."When a home side is playing like that, it's so hard to stop. They are going to be so difficult to play against in the round of 16. It will be a daunting task."That was one of the best performances that I've seen from a Mexico side in a while."Could 'quinto partido' strike again?Mexico fans will be feeling that this could well be the year they lift the World Cup for the first time, but one thing that is burned into their psyche will leave them a little concerned.That is 'quinto partido' - Spanish for the fifth game.Mexico hosted the World Cup in 1970 and 1986 and reached the quarter-finals in both, but in every tournament after that up to 2018 they have been beaten in their fifth game.Break that fifth-game curse and their fans will truly start to believe that this side could become World Cup winners.World Cup 2026 knockout pathTuchel will stick to Southgate's penalty planRight-backs Quansah and James out of DR Congo game

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