Mbappé strike sends France past Paraguay and into World Cup quarter-finals

France ground out a 1-0 victory over Paraguay to book their place in the World Cup quarter-finals, with Kylian Mbappé’s clinical first-half finish settling a cagey last‑16 tie dominated by defensive discipline rather than attacking fluency.

• Paraguay will play with . , on .
• France will play with Morocco. July 09 at 20:00 (GMT), on None.

Paraguay

• Orlando David Gill Noldin (7.6)
• Juan José Cáceres (6.3)
• Víctor Gustavo Velázquez Ramos (6.2)
• Gustavo Raúl Gómez Portillo (6.7)
• Omar Federico Alderete Fernández (6.6)
• Júnior Osmar Ignacio Alonso Mujica (6.7)
• Miguel Ángel Almirón Rejala (6.2)
• Diego Alexander Gómez Amarilla (6.3)
• Adrián Andrés Cubas (7.2)
• Matías Galarza Fonda (6.2)
• Julio César Enciso Espínola (6.5)

France

Substitutions:

Paraguay

• Omar Federico Alderete Fernández (José María Canale Domínguez, 58)
• Julio César Enciso Espínola (Gustavo Rubén Caballero González, 61)
• Miguel Ángel Almirón Rejala (Gabriel Ávalos Stumpfs, 71)
• Gustavo Raúl Gómez Portillo (Maurício Magalhães Prado, 71)

France

• Bradley Barcola (Désiré Doué, 61)
• Masour Ousmane Dembélé (Mathis Rayan Cherki, 84)

Ball possession:

Didier Deschamps’ side controlled long spells of possession – 76% to Paraguay’s 24% – and registered 15 efforts on goal, but they were made to work for their win by a stubborn, combative Paraguayan team who defended deep, intercepted bravely and threatened sporadically on the break.

Passes:

Mbappé, again France’s most dangerous outlet and leader for shots on target, provided the decisive moment, while at the other end Dayot Upamecano and William Saliba underpinned a composed defensive display that kept the South Americans at bay.

Defense:

### France dominant on the ball but made to wait

Face-to-face:

From the outset this last‑16 clash followed a clear pattern: France circulating patiently, Paraguay defending in numbers and looking to spring forward when the opportunity arose.

Fouls:

Yellow cards:

• Bradley Barcola (France) at 19 minute
• Kouadio Emmanuel Koné (France) at 81 minute
• Michael Akpovie Olise (France) at 90 minute

Penalties in a match:

• Kylian Mbappé Lottin (France) at 70 minute

The last five games (including this match):

• Paraguay –
• France –

Top 5 World Cup scorers:

1. Masour Ousmane Dembélé (3, )
2. Kylian Mbappé Lottin (3, )
3. Harry Edward Kane (3, )
4. Ismaïla Sarr (2, )
5. Romelu Menama Lukaku Bolingoli (2, )

Line-ups:

Next games:

• Paraguay will play with . , on .
• France will play with Morocco. July 09 at 20:00 (GMT), on None.