PHILADELPHIA: Kylian Mbappé converted a penalty as France edged Paraguay 1-0 to reach the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals at the Philadelphia Stadium on Sunday.
Mbappe also equaled Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race by netting his seventh goal of the tournament.
The game was largely dominated by Les Blues and featured several heated moments and physical altercations in front of a crowd of 68,324, with temperatures reaching 37 degrees Celsius — the highest recorded during a FIFA World Cup match.
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During the first half, Paraguay kept the dynamic French attack quiet with their cagey display as . The quality of Didier Deschamps’ side was evident as they maintained 76 percent possession. On the contrary, the Guaranís had only 24 percent, with only five shots on goal.
Gustavo Alfaro’s team, which eliminated Germany on penalties in the last 32, defended strongly in the first 45 minutes, ending goalless with neither team recording a shot on target.
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After the first half, France finally managed to net a goal, courtesy of a substitution of Desire Doue for left winger Bradley Barcola in the 61st minute.
Paris Saint-Germain player Doué cut in menacingly from the left and jinked past several Paraguayan players before being upended by Diego Gómez in the area.
After the VAR review, the official gave it a penalty as Kylian Mbappe stepped up and duly converted with aplomb to settle the match.
France will now face Morocco in the quarter-finals in Foxborough, outside Boston on Thursday, a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final won by Les Bleus.
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