World Cup 2026 – Round of 16
Paraguay 0-1 France
PHILADELPHIA, USA: France booked their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after Kylian Mbappé’s second-half penalty secured a narrow 1-0 victory over a resilient Paraguay in a tense Round of 16 clash on Saturday.
The French were forced to dig deep against a disciplined Paraguay side that defended resolutely for much of the contest, frustrating Didier Deschamps’ men in sweltering conditions at Philadelphia Stadium.
Paraguay, who had stunned Germany on penalties in the previous round, arrived full of confidence and set up in a compact defensive shape that limited France’s attacking space despite Les Bleus dominating possession.
With temperatures soaring to nearly 39°C, both sides struggled to maintain a high tempo, and clear-cut chances remained scarce throughout a cagey first half.
France eventually found the breakthrough in the 70th minute after substitute Désiré Doué burst into the penalty area and was brought down by Paraguay midfielder Diego Gómez.
Following a VAR review, the referee pointed to the penalty spot, allowing Mbappé to calmly slot home his seventh goal of the tournament and hand France the lead.
The strike also took the Real Madrid forward to 19 career FIFA World Cup goals, drawing him level with Lionel Messi on the competition’s all-time scoring chart while keeping him firmly in the race for the Golden Boot.
Paraguay refused to surrender and pushed numbers forward in search of a late equaliser, forcing France to defend deep during the closing stages.
Goalkeeper Mike Maignan produced a crucial save late in the match to deny Paraguay an equaliser as France weathered sustained pressure before seeing out the victory.
The closing minutes became increasingly physical, with several stoppages and confrontations as Paraguay desperately searched for a way back into the contest, but France held firm to preserve their clean sheet.
Speaking after the match, Mbappé praised his team’s resilience.
“We knew what kind of match we were going to have. If we have to get our hands dirty, we can do that. We can play ugly football. They thought we would turn up in tuxedos, but we were there.”
The victory sends France into a blockbuster quarter-final clash against Morocco, who earlier dismantled co-hosts Canada 3-0 to become the first African nation to reach the last eight of the tournament.
For Paraguay, the defeat ends a memorable World Cup campaign that included a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Germany in the Round of 32 and another courageous display against one of the tournament favourites.
Despite falling short, the South Americans earned widespread praise for pushing France all the way in one of the most fiercely contested Round of 16 encounters.
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