Kylian Mbappé converted a 70th‑minute penalty to give France a 1‑0 win over Paraguay in a fiercely contested World Cup last‑16 tie in Philadelphia. The victory sets up a quarter‑final clash with Morocco and sees Mbappé equal Lionel Messi’s tally of seven World Cup goals.
The Argentine side’s attempts to unsettle the French striker were to no avail as Mbappé calmly slotted home from the spot. It was the decisive moment after a tightly fought contest in which Paraguay, who had previously upset Germany, held the hosts at bay in 39°C heat.
France struggled to break down a resolute Paraguayan defence, limited to long‑range efforts for much of the match. The breakthrough came after Didier Deschamps introduced Bradley Barcola for Désiré Doué, and following a VAR review the referee, Ilgiz Tantashev, awarded a penalty for a foul on Doué that had initially been dismissed.
France’s Michael Olise runs with the ball against Paraguay
The South Americans tried to delay the spot‑kick and scuff the mark, but Mbappé composed himself to fire the ball into the bottom corner.
Paraguay’s frustration erupted in a series of reckless challenges late in the game, most of which escaped punishment. The Uzbek official did not produce a single booking for either side, despite a series of heated exchanges that continued after the final whistle.
Mbappé extends record tally
Kylian Mbappé scored his 11th World Cup knockout goal. No other player in history has netted more than eight.
Paraguay kept him at bay again in stoppage time, with goalkeeper Orlando Gill saving two attempts, and Mbappé later refused to shake Gill’s hand as the final whistle sounded on a combustible encounter and what many described as a baffling refereeing performance.
The key moments from Philadelphia
- 22: FIRST SHOT! Manu Kone tests France from range after a sluggish start.
- 31: CHANCE! Mbappé misses a header from Ousmane Dembélé’s teasing cross.
- 39: Mbappé is brought down in the face by Matias Galarza without a foul being called as France’s frustration grows.
- 55 SAVE! Kone’s dipping effort is tipped over by Gill.
- 67: OUR! The referee points to the spot after reviewing a foul on Désiré Doué.
- 70: GOAL! Mbappé converts despite Paraguay’s attempts to hamper the kick.
- 77: FLASHPOINT! Juan José Cáceres reacts harshly towards Mbappé but escapes a card.
- 90+7: SAVES! Mbappé is denied twice by Gill before tempers spill over after the final whistle.
In pictures: How tempers frayed
Gustavo Velazquez confronts William Saliba and Maxcence Lacroix
Matias Galarza reacts during a coming together with Michael Olise
Kylian Mbappe had a running battle with Juan Jose Caceres
Referee Ilgiz Tantashev booked a member of Paraguay’s coaching staff but no players
Deschamps: Paraguay use every trick in the book
France boss Didier Deschamps said: “It wasn’t easy. If we’d taken one of our chances late in the game, it would have been a much more comfortable finish.
“Paraguay use every trick in the book. It’s not necessarily the kind of football people enjoy watching, but we stayed focused and that’s not easy to do.
“They’re a physical side and they defend very well. It’s another important step forward. It’s always difficult against South American teams, but I’m delighted that the players got the job done.
“We’re into the quarter-finals and we have to enjoy that.”
Mbappé: We passed the test
France captain Kylian Mbappé said: “We knew what kind of match to expect. I think it was really good for us to experience a game like that and to see how we handled it.
“We showed that we’re not just a team capable of playing attacking football. Every team uses its own strengths – there’s no right or wrong way to play.
“The only right way is to win. Now we have to focus on Morocco. We’re really looking forward to facing them because we know they’re a very good team.”
Paraguay avoid punishment
- Paraguay didn’t pick up a single card in a World Cup game for the first time since 1998 against Nigeria.
- Paraguay completed just 54 per cent of their passes (99/183), the lowest accuracy rate in a World Cup knockout match on record (since 1966).
- This was the third World Cup knockout stage match on record (since 1966) to have no shots on target in the first half, after Brazil vs France in the quarter-finals in 2006 and Germany vs Argentina in the final in 1990.
What’s next?
France will face Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals, in a repeat of their 2022 semi, on Thursday July 9, kick-off 9pm (BST) in Boston.