Sweden’s World Cup ended with a heavy defeat, but one moment from the first half continued to follow Alexander Isak after the final whistle.

France beat Sweden 3-0 in New Jersey, with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice and Bradley Barcola also on target.

But it was Mbappé’s opening goal, just before half-time, that sparked debate in the television studio and later in the mixed zone.

According to Aftonbladet, Zlatan Ibrahimovic criticised Isak’s defensive reaction during the set-piece that led to France’s first goal.

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Zlatan points to Isak

The goal came from a quickly taken French corner.

Mbappé moved away from the initial crowd, received the ball and drove into the penalty area before beating Viktor Gyökeres and finishing into the far corner.

Thierry Henry, working as a World Cup expert for FOX Sports, focused on the mismatch France had created by dragging a Swedish attacker into a defensive duel with Mbappé.

Zlatan saw it differently.

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“Isak should have followed Mbappé,” Ibrahimovic said.

The criticism was direct, but not dismissed by Isak afterwards.

Isak accepts the criticism

Isak had been positioned just outside the penalty area and pointed towards Mbappé as the French captain moved into space.

After the match, the Sweden forward accepted that he might have reacted differently.

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“Absolutely, very possible,” Isak said. “I might have reacted better.”

He also explained that his normal role on corners is to remain outside the box as a second-ball player, rather than track runners into the penalty area.

That detail made the situation more complicated. France’s forwards were moving freely, and Sweden were forced to make quick decisions against some of the most dangerous attacking players in the tournament.

Henry praises the French idea

Henry’s analysis was less about individual blame and more about France’s set-piece design.

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The former France striker argued that the move was built to isolate Mbappé against a player who was not naturally suited to defending him one-on-one.

France quickly restarted play from the corner flag and pulled Sweden out of shape. Gyökeres then became the player forced to deal with Mbappé in open space.

Viktor Gyökeres later admitted that Sweden had not reacted quickly enough.

“They play a short corner. We knew that,” he said. “We are not quick enough out there.”

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France ends Sweden’s run

The goal changed the match.

According to Svenska Dagbladet, Mbappé gave France the lead in the 45th minute, Barcola made it 2-0 in the 52nd minute, and Mbappé scored again in the 74th minute.

Sweden had stayed in the match for long periods of the first half, but France’s quality eventually became too much.

Captain Victor Nilsson Lindelöf summed up the mood afterwards.

“We knew it would be a tough task, but it still sucks,” he told TV4.

For Sweden, the defeat ended a World Cup run that still carried pride. For Isak, the tournament ended with a difficult question about one defensive moment.

And for Zlatan, it was simple.

Against Mbappé, one second of hesitation was enough.