France needed a second-half penalty by Kylian Mbappe to get a lead after a tense and physical battle and were able to qualify for the World Cup quarterfinals and defeat Paraguay by 1-0 on Saturday in Philadelphia.
Paraguay was very much intent on thwarting France’s attempts to score and did not hesitate to interfere with the France’s flow throughout the game.
Although France had possession for much of the match, they struggled to score any goals as the French side made a lot of errors in their offence.
The breakthrough didn’t come until the 70th minute when France’s Desire Doue was brought down in the penalty area when he was attempting to gain possession.
Following the review the referee gave France a penalty. Mbappe took the opportunity to score the first of only goal in the match.
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The win continues Mbappe’s outstanding tournament. Real Madrid striker is currently on seven goals in this World Cup on level with Messi. They are both competing to become the highest goal scorer of 2026 World Cup.
He has also scored total 19 goals in all World Cups, one shy of Messi’s overall mark of 20.
The match was held in very hot weather, temperatures reaching 38°C (100F).
The game was played despite the heat, with over 68,000 people coming to watch.
No. 41 ranked Paraguay had left many fans with their jaws open at their early elimination of Germany in the last round and was once again making the game difficult for a more powerful team.
But, they rarely posed at least the threat of scoring a goal against France.
France will go against Morocco in the quarter-finals, after Morocco knocked Canada out 3-0 earlier in the day.
It was not the most impressive performance for France, but the win has left them with hopes of winning another World Cup title.
