France will now face Morocco in the 2026 World Cup quarter-final match after fighting hard to beat Paraguay 1-0 in a Round of 16 showdown on Sunday at Philadelphia Stadium.
France captain Kylian Mbappe, who made it 19 goals in 19 World Cup appearances as he scored a late penalty to seal victory for the Europeans in a physically challenging encounter.
The South Americans came up with a plan that frustrated the 2018 World Cup champions, and France was contained, as this was the only fourth time since 1966 that Les Bleus didn’t manage a shot in the first 20 minutes of a World Cup match.
Chances were few for the tournament’s favourites; Mbappe was inches away from getting on the end of Ousmane Dembele‘s teasing delivery before Adrien Rabiot’s long-range strike went over the crossbar.
France laughs last
France coach Didier Deschamps had to revise his strategy, turned to the bench, and brought on Desire Doue to replace Dembele. The PSG star made his presence felt instantly; he was tripped in the penalty area, and the centre referee, Ilgiz Tantashev, pointed to the spot after a VAR review.
Mbappe took the penalty conversion duties by sending the Paraguayan goalkeeper the wrong way to score his 11th knockout goal at the World Cup, three more than any other player in the history of the competition.
With the win, the 1998 World Cup champions will now face Morocco in the quarters. In the 2022 edition in Qatar, Les Bleus beat the Atlas Lions 2-0 in a semi-final encounter.
Mbappe goes level with Messi
Mbappe and Argentina captain Lionel Messi are the leading Golden Boot candidates. By scoring the penalty against Paraguay, Mbappe went level with Messi, as both now have seven goals.
