Philadelphia: Kylian Mbappe scored his seventh goal of the 2026 edition, slotting home from the penalty spot as two-time winner France overcame Paraguay 1-0 to set up a quarterfinal meeting with Morocco at the FIFA World Cup, remaining on course for another title.
Mbappe scored the only goal of the Round of 16 match in the second half from a penalty to settle an attritional contest at the Philadelphia Stadium, moving level with Lionel Messi on goals but leading on assists in the race for the 2026 Golden Boot. The goal also moved teh France forward one behind Argentina’s all-time World Cup tally of 20. This was Mbappe’s record-extending 11th World Cup knockout-stage goal, while becoming the first player to score in the Round of 16 in three successive tournaments.
But it was not an easy outing for France, as was expected, as their opponents played physically.
Having stunned Germany on penalties to reach the Round of 16, Paraguay effectively shut up shop in a frustrating first half for France, whose players returned to their base with a few bruises on their bodies.
The Les Bleus dominated possession on Saturday night, but struggled to break down La Albirroja’s disciplined defence, with their efforts limited to speculative attempts from distance and none troubling goalkeeper Orlando Gill.
France began to make inroads after the restart, with Ousmane Dembele firing into the side netting following a quickly taken corner. As the pressure mounted, Gill had to dive full stretch to keep out Manu Kone’s powerful long-range effort.
Paraguay’s resistance was finally broken in the 69th minute after Desire Doué was adjudged to have been upended in the penalty area following a VAR review. Mbappe calmly dispatched the resultant spot-kick, sending Gill the wrong way to punch his team’s ticket to the last eight.
France, who won the title in 1998 and 2018 and ended up as runners-up in 2006 and 2022, will next face Morocco, who knocked out co-hosts Canada in the opening last-16 tie, at the Boston Stadium on July 9. IANS
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