France was given a huge scare in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 showdown against Paraguay in Philadelphia. But they recovered just in time as Kylian Mbappe scored a 70th-minute penalty in a victory, sending his side into the quarterfinals for the fourth straight time. The Les Bleus will face Morocco next, on Thursday.
It was a tight contest as Paraguay maintained a solid structure and defended deep, and France weren’t able to create any clear-cut chances in the first half despite having the majority of the possession.
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Neither side managed a shot on target before the break, with Rabiot, Kone and Ousmane Dembele all trying their luck without reward, while Julio Enciso offered Paraguay’s lone threat at the other end.
It was only after Desire Doue’s introduction in the second half that they began to show more impetus. Then Doue was fouled in the box, and after a VAR check, the referee awarded France a penalty. Mbappe stepped up and converted it with ease in the 70th minute, finally breaking the deadlock.
It took his World Cup tally to 19 goals in 19 appearances, one behind record holder Lionel Messi. Mbappe and Messi are also on top of the Golden Boot race with seven goals.
Mbappe also missed plenty of chances and was denied by Orlando Gill twice in the second half.
The hydration breaks have been receiving criticism during this World Cup, but they were much-needed in this match, where the temperature reached 38 degrees Celsius.
France registered 13 goals in the first five games of their campaign. But they failed to build on that momentum in the first half as Paraguay remained resolute.
Tempers also flared between Andres Cubas and Mbappe, and the teams briefly pushed and shoved each other. Meanwhile, Matias Galarza also threw his right elbow into Mbappe, knocking him down.
Paraguay qualified for the Round of 16 after defeating Germany in a penalty shootout in the first knockout phase. France showed nerves in the 90th minute when Mike Maignan was called into action, making his first save of the match. The match also saw plenty of fouls as the Paraguay players tried to trigger Mbappe and Co.
Speaking after the match, Mbappe said, “We knew what sort of match we were in for, but I think today went really well.”
“They thought we’d turn up in tuxedos, that we’d just come to pull off some spectacular moves. But we know how to play the dirty game too. And we did that today; we won, and even in that respect we were better than them.”
