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Kylian Mbappé’s second-half penalty earned France a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay on Saturday, sending Les Bleus into the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the fourth consecutive tournament.
The French captain kept his composure from the spot in the 70th minute after a video review ruled that Paraguay midfielder Diego Gómez had committed a foul inside the penalty area. Mbappé’s clinical finish proved enough to separate the sides in a tense last-16 encounter played in searing heat at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.
With temperatures nearing 38 degrees Celsius, both teams struggled to maintain their usual intensity. Paraguay, however, frustrated the 2018 world champions with an organised defensive display and looked capable of forcing extra time before the decisive penalty.
The goal was Mbappé’s 19th in World Cup competition from just 19 appearances, leaving him only one short of the tournament record held by Lionel Messi. The strike also took the France captain level at the top of the Golden Boot standings with seven goals in the competition.
Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill, one of the stars of his country’s shock penalty shootout victory over Germany in the previous round, produced another impressive display despite ending up on the losing side. He denied Manu Koné in the first half and made two outstanding late saves to prevent Mbappé from adding to his tally.
The fiercely contested match featured several flashpoints, with tempers boiling over on more than one occasion. Emotions spilled over after the final whistle when Mbappé and Gill became involved in a brief confrontation before teammates intervened to calm the situation.
France coach Didier Deschamps praised his players for finding a way through a stubborn Paraguayan defence after facing a much sterner test than in previous rounds.
France, champions in 2018 and runners-up in 2022, have now won all five of their matches at the 2026 World Cup, scoring 14 goals while conceding only two.
The victory sets up a quarter-final meeting with Morocco in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Thursday in a repeat of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, when France defeated the North African side to reach the final.
Paraguay bow out with their heads held high after another spirited performance. Their campaign included one of the tournament’s biggest upsets, eliminating Germany in the knockout stage before pushing one of the favourites all the way.
