Kylian Mbappe’s second-half penalty proved decisive as France edged Paraguay 1-0 to secure a place in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, where they will face Morocco.
Les Bleus dominated possession throughout the Round of 16 encounter in Philadelphia but were frustrated for much of the game by a disciplined Paraguay side that defended deep and disrupted France’s rhythm.
Despite controlling the contest, France struggled to create clear-cut chances in the opening half. Manu Kone came closest with a long-range effort that was deflected just wide, while Paraguay focused on containing France’s attacking threats and looked to frustrate their opponents.
The South Americans, who had eliminated Germany on penalties in the previous round, remained organised defensively and did not register a shot on target until the closing stages of the match.
France coach Didier Deschamps introduced Desire Doue shortly after the hour mark, and the substitution proved decisive.
In the 70th minute, Doue drove into the penalty area before being brought down by Diego Gomez. Following a VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot.
Mbappe calmly converted the resulting penalty, sending goalkeeper Orlando Gill the wrong way to score his seventh goal of the tournament and move level with Lionel Messi as the competition’s joint-leading scorer.
The Real Madrid forward nearly added a second in stoppage time, but Paraguay held firm to prevent further damage.
While it was not France’s most convincing attacking display, the former champions did enough to book their place in the last eight, where they will take on Morocco, who advanced after a 3-0 victory over Canada.
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Story by Xavier Mensah | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Erica Odeenyin Odoom
