Kylian Mbappe’s 70th-minute penalty gave France a 1-0 victory over Paraguay in an ill-tempered World Cup last-16 tie in Philadelphia to set up a quarter-final meeting with Morocco.
Mbappe converted his kick coolly despite Paraguayan attempts to put him off as he finally broke the South American side’s resistance and moved level with Lionel Messi on seven World Cup goals.
Paraguay, winners over Germany in the previous round, had defended stubbornly in the 39-degree heat up until then, restricting France, the tournament’s outstanding team so far, to long-range shots and succeeding in slowing the game down.
It took the introduction of Desire Doue for Bradley Barcola for France to find a way through. Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev waved away his penalty appeal initially after he was tripped by Diego Gomez but overturned the decision after a VAR check.
France’s Michael Olise runs with the ball against Paraguay
Paraguay players attempted to delay the penalty and scuff up the spot but Mbappe held his nerve to find the bottom corner.
Paraguay’s frustration spilled over with some reckless challenges in the closing stages, most of which went unpunished by the referee, who didn’t give Paraguay any bookings despite France’s protests and a series of confrontations between players which continued after the final whistle.
Mbappe, a target for Paraguay throughout, was denied a second goal by a superb double save from Orlando Gill in stoppage time and subsequently refused to shake the goalkeeper’s hand after Tantashev had called time on a combustible contest – and a bewildering refereeing performance.
The key moments from Philadelphia
- 22: FIRST SHOT! Manu Kone tries his luck from range after a slow start from France
- 31: CHANCE! Mbappe has a chance from Ousmane Dembele’s teasing cross but fails to connect with his header
- 39: Mbappe catches an arm to the face from Matias Galarza which goes unpunished as France’s frustration builds
- 55 SAVE! Kone’s dipping shot requires an acrobatic save from Gill
- 67: VAR! The referee points to the spot after checking a foul on Desire Doue on the pitch-side monitor
- 70: GOAL! Mbappe scores despite Paraguay delaying and trying to scuff up the penalty spot
- 77: FLASHPOINT! Juan Jose Caceres kicks out at Mbappe but avoids a booking or red card
- 90+7: SAVES! Mbappe is denied by Gill’s outstanding double save before tempers spill over after the final whistle
In pictures: How tempers frayed
Gustavo Velazquez confronts William Saliba and Maxcence Lacroix
Matias Galarza reacts during a coming together with Michael Olise
Kylian Mbappe had a running battle with Juan Jose Caceres
Referee Ilgiz Tantashev booked a member of Paraguay’s coaching staff but no players
Deschamps: Paraguay use every trick in the book
France boss Didier Deschamps said: “It wasn’t easy. If we’d taken one of our chances late in the game, it would have been a much more comfortable finish.
“Paraguay use every trick in the book. It’s not necessarily the kind of football people enjoy watching, but we stayed focused and that’s not easy to do.
“They’re a physical side and they defend very well. It’s another important step forward. It’s always difficult against South American teams, but I’m delighted that the players got the job done.
“We’re into the quarter-finals and we have to enjoy that.”
Mbappe: We passed the test
France captain Kylian Mbappe said: “We knew what kind of match to expect. I think it was really good for us to experience a game like that and to see how we handled it.
“We showed that we’re not just a team capable of playing attacking football. Every team uses its own strengths – there’s no right or wrong way to play.
“The only right way is to win. Now we have to focus on Morocco. We’re really looking forward to facing them because we know they’re a very good team.”
Paraguay avoid punishment
- Paraguay didn’t pick up a single card in a World Cup game for the first time since 1998 against Nigeria.
- Paraguay completed just 54 per cent of their passes (99/183), the lowest accuracy rate in a World Cup knockout match on record (since 1966).
- This was the third World Cup knockout stage match on record (since 1966) to have no shots on target in the first half, after Brazil vs France in the quarter-finals in 2006 and Germany vs Argentina in the final in 1990.
What’s next?
France will face Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals, in a repeat of their 2022 semi, on Thursday July 9, kick-off 9pm (BST) in Boston.
