Olise of France attempts an overhead kick against Sweden.
| Photo Credit: AFP
While the whole world talks about Kylian Mbappe’s brace, it was Michael Olise who had fans on their feet during France’s 3-0 demolition of Sweden in the round of 32.
Playing in the number 10 role, Olise came agonisingly close to producing one of the great World Cup goals.
In the 35th minute, a loose ball ballooned up around the edge of the box, and the Bayern Munich forward rose to attempt an audacious bicycle kick that cannoned off the post. He also had Sweden ’keeper Jacob Zetterstrom at full stretch with a powerful strike after being played clear by Mbappe.
Eventually, it was his vision that did the damage. In the 53rd minute, Aurelien Tchouameni drove forward and found Olise, who slid Bradley Barcola in behind the Swedish defence with a beautifully weighted through-ball to double France’s lead. Then, with 15 minutes left, he repeated the trick — releasing Mbappe with another inch-perfect pass to make it 3-0.
Those two assists took Olise’s tally for the tournament to five, leaving him just one shy of Pele’s all-time record (1970). With France potentially having four games left in this campaign, Olise is firmly in the frame to rewrite World Cup history.
Published – July 01, 2026 08:25 pm IST
