A 70th-minute penalty from captain Kylian Mbappe was enough to steer France into the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay at the Philadelphia Stadium.
The decisive moment came midway through the second half when Paraguay’s Diego Gomez fouled Desire Doue inside the box, prompting a penalty confirmation via VAR. Mbappe clinical secured his seventh goal of the tournament, moving him level with Argentinian captain Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot race.
While the French superstar missed two late chances to double the lead—denied by spectacular saves from Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill—Les Bleus held firm to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive tournament.
The victory sets up a highly anticipated semifinal rematch against Morocco, who advanced earlier after defeating Canada 3-0. France famously beat the Atlas Lions in the 2022 World Cup semifinals en route to the final.
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