France struggles to progress: 1-0 over Paraguay with Mbappé penalty and quarterfinals against Morocco

France left nothing to chance. Les Bleus suffered like mad but beat Paraguay 1-0 in Philadelphia with a Mbappé penalty and booked their spot in the quarter-finals. La Albirroja, fresh off knocking out Germany, stood their ground once more and bow out with their heads held high.

The match. France dominated possession—over 400 passes—but came crashing against the Paraguayan wall time and time again. The hero came close to being Orlando Gill, the Guaraní keeper, who pulled off impossible saves against Koné and Mbappé himself. The resistance cracked in the 70th minute: VAR reviewed a foul by Diego Gómez on Désiré Doué, awarded a penalty, and Mbappé made no mistake.

Mbappé draws level with Messi. With that goal, Kylian reaches 7 goals in the 2026 World Cup and equals Leo Messi at the top of the scoring charts. The battle for the Golden Boot is heating up.

What's next: cracker of a tie. France face Morocco in the quarter-finals on July 9 in Boston, a rematch of the Qatar 2022 semi-final (which the French won). For Paraguay, it's goodbye to the tournament after a World Cup to remember.

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