FRANCE NEEDED A second-half Kylian Mbappé penalty to break down a stubborn Paraguay side on Saturday, winning a niggly World Cup last-16 clash 1-0 to set up a quarter-final showdown with Morocco.
Paraguay’s efforts to get under the skin of France’s superstars worked for three quarters of a game played in front of 68,324 fans in Philadelphia in heatwave conditions.
However, the quality in the French ranks eventually shone through, with Mbappé converting from the spot on 70 minutes after Desire Doué was brought down.
This was not an attacking masterclass by the French as they had produced in their previous games, but Paraguay did not allow them to play that way.
It was very much a mismatch, though, with Les Bleus having almost all the ball and Paraguay not managing a shot on target until the 90th minute.
Mbappé’s brilliant World Cup on a personal level continued as he rejoined Lionel Messi as the tournament’s joint-top scorer with seven goals.
The Real Madrid striker now has 19 World Cup goals in total — from 19 appearances — meaning he is just one behind Messi’s overall record of 20.
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Didier Deschamps’ team will now return to their Boston base to prepare for a last-eight clash in nearby Foxborough next Thursday against the Moroccans, who beat Canada 3-0 earlier.
It was a sweltering day in Philadelphia, with temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) and extreme weather warnings in place in case of storms.
France’s last visit to Lincoln Financial Field, during the group phase, was affected by storms, as rain and thunder led to a two-hour delay during their 3-0 win over Iraq.
- July 4 celebrations -
🇵🇾 0-1 🇫🇷
France break the deadlock in Pennsylvania from the penalty spot through who else but Kylian Mbappe
This time there were no interruptions to a game played on the 250th anniversary of US independence, and in the city where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.
A pre-match concert on the pitch featured a rendition of the US national anthem by the actress Idina Menzel, a performance by hip-hop band The Roots, and a US Air Force flyover.
A fireworks display in the city to mark 4 July was not due to take place until later, and the anticipated French pyrotechnics on the pitch were contained for long spells by the Paraguayans.
Ranked 41st in the world, Paraguay had ousted Germany on penalties in the last round and were aiming to claim another huge scalp here.
They played with a back five, defended with a low block, and were quite happy to live up to some South American stereotypes with a cynical approach.
That led to Mbappé’s frustrations getting the better of him as he got involved in a shoving match with Andres Cubas. Moments later, Matias Galarza had a little lash out at the France captain off the ball.
France had practically all the ball but struggled to do anything with it, being restricted to shots from long range.
Manu Kone had one attempt deflected just wide midway through the first half and another tipped over by Orlando Gill not long after the restart.
Paraguay’s attempts to frustrate France were working, but the dark arts would only get them so far.
While Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé were struggling to influence the game, Deschamps opted to remove Bradley Barcola and put Doué on the left wing in his place.
That was just after the hour mark, and Doué quickly made an impact.
When he attempted to dribble his way through a sea of Paraguayan defenders, he went down under contact from Diego Gomez. The foul was clear, and the Uzbek referee pointed to the spot after a review.
Dembélé protected the penalty spot as several Paraguay players tried to rough it up. Mbappé then stepped forward and slotted in.
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Having won on penalties in the last round, Paraguay’s resistance was broken by one this time.
It was not a vintage France performance, but Mbappé almost scored again in stoppage time, and they have taken another step towards their goal.
In 1998, they needed a golden goal to beat Paraguay at the same stage of the competition. And they went on to win that World Cup.
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France advance to World Cup last 8 after hard-fought victory over Paraguay
World Cup round of 16:
France 1
Paraguay 0
FRANCE NEEDED A second-half Kylian Mbappé penalty to break down a stubborn Paraguay side on Saturday, winning a niggly World Cup last-16 clash 1-0 to set up a quarter-final showdown with Morocco.
Paraguay’s efforts to get under the skin of France’s superstars worked for three quarters of a game played in front of 68,324 fans in Philadelphia in heatwave conditions.
However, the quality in the French ranks eventually shone through, with Mbappé converting from the spot on 70 minutes after Desire Doué was brought down.
This was not an attacking masterclass by the French as they had produced in their previous games, but Paraguay did not allow them to play that way.
It was very much a mismatch, though, with Les Bleus having almost all the ball and Paraguay not managing a shot on target until the 90th minute.
Mbappé’s brilliant World Cup on a personal level continued as he rejoined Lionel Messi as the tournament’s joint-top scorer with seven goals.
The Real Madrid striker now has 19 World Cup goals in total — from 19 appearances — meaning he is just one behind Messi’s overall record of 20.
Didier Deschamps’ team will now return to their Boston base to prepare for a last-eight clash in nearby Foxborough next Thursday against the Moroccans, who beat Canada 3-0 earlier.
It was a sweltering day in Philadelphia, with temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) and extreme weather warnings in place in case of storms.
France’s last visit to Lincoln Financial Field, during the group phase, was affected by storms, as rain and thunder led to a two-hour delay during their 3-0 win over Iraq.
- July 4 celebrations -
This time there were no interruptions to a game played on the 250th anniversary of US independence, and in the city where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.
A pre-match concert on the pitch featured a rendition of the US national anthem by the actress Idina Menzel, a performance by hip-hop band The Roots, and a US Air Force flyover.
A fireworks display in the city to mark 4 July was not due to take place until later, and the anticipated French pyrotechnics on the pitch were contained for long spells by the Paraguayans.
Ranked 41st in the world, Paraguay had ousted Germany on penalties in the last round and were aiming to claim another huge scalp here.
They played with a back five, defended with a low block, and were quite happy to live up to some South American stereotypes with a cynical approach.
That led to Mbappé’s frustrations getting the better of him as he got involved in a shoving match with Andres Cubas. Moments later, Matias Galarza had a little lash out at the France captain off the ball.
France had practically all the ball but struggled to do anything with it, being restricted to shots from long range.
Manu Kone had one attempt deflected just wide midway through the first half and another tipped over by Orlando Gill not long after the restart.
Paraguay’s attempts to frustrate France were working, but the dark arts would only get them so far.
While Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé were struggling to influence the game, Deschamps opted to remove Bradley Barcola and put Doué on the left wing in his place.
That was just after the hour mark, and Doué quickly made an impact.
When he attempted to dribble his way through a sea of Paraguayan defenders, he went down under contact from Diego Gomez. The foul was clear, and the Uzbek referee pointed to the spot after a review.
Dembélé protected the penalty spot as several Paraguay players tried to rough it up. Mbappé then stepped forward and slotted in.
Having won on penalties in the last round, Paraguay’s resistance was broken by one this time.
It was not a vintage France performance, but Mbappé almost scored again in stoppage time, and they have taken another step towards their goal.
In 1998, they needed a golden goal to beat Paraguay at the same stage of the competition. And they went on to win that World Cup.
– © AFP 2026
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