Kylian Mbappe scored the only goal of the match from the penalty spot as France beat Paraguay 1-0 in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 on Saturday to book a quarter-final clash with Morocco.
In sweltering conditions in Philadelphia, France had to dig deep against a disciplined Paraguay side that made life difficult throughout the match.
France were dealt a blow before kick-off when midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni pulled out with a muscle injury. Manu Kone came into the starting lineup alongside Adrien Rabiot, while Paraguay lined up with a defensive 5-4-1 formation.
With temperatures touching 39 degrees Celsius, France controlled possession but struggled to break down Paraguay’s stubborn defence.
Neither team managed a shot on target in the first half. Adrien Rabiot, Manu Kone and Ousmane Dembele all tried their luck for France, while Julio Enciso was Paraguay’s biggest attacking threat.
France finally found the breakthrough in the second half after substitute Desire Doue was brought down inside the penalty area by Diego Gomez.
Following a VAR review, referee Ilgiz Tantashev pointed to the spot and Mbappe calmly converted the penalty in the 70th minute. It was his seventh goal of the tournament and the 19th World Cup goal of his career.
Paraguay pushed forward in the closing stages, forcing goalkeeper Mike Maignan into his first save of the match in the 90th minute.
France also had chances to put the game beyond doubt, but Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill denied Mbappe twice in stoppage time.
Despite the late pressure, France held on to secure a hard-fought victory and will now face Morocco in the quarter-finals.
